Updated: November 26, 2020 8:04:20 pm
Normal traffic was affected in Kolkata’s Shyambazar on Thursday due to the national strike called by 10 central unions
Normal life came to a complete halt in Kerala, ruled by the left, while it was partially affected in West Bengal, Tripura, Tamil Nadu and Odisha due to the 24-hour national strike called by various unions in protest against the economic policies of the Center and the controversial farm. laws. While intermittent clashes between left-wing activists and the police were reported in various parts of Bengal, other states saw road blocks, leading to a disruption of vehicular movement.
The bandh, convened by 10 central unions except Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, aligned with the BJP, was almost total in Kerala, with government offices, business establishments and banks closed. The streets were also deserted because private buses, rickshaws and taxis did not circulate.
All stores in Hatibagan, a major commercial center, in Kolkata were closed on the day of the strike on Thursday.
In the state capital Thiruvananthapuram, where unions such as CITU and INTUC wield considerable influence, the bandh saw shops and businesses remain closed and police vehicles transporting people to hospitals from train stations and bus stops. of bus. In the financial center of Kochi, the subway services did not experience interruptions despite the fact that the number of passengers decreased significantly.
While KSRTC state buses were kept off the roads for the public, some of them were seen transporting pilgrims from Sabarimala, who were exempt from the strike. However, in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, the unions did not hold mass demonstrations but instead organized protest rallies and human chains throughout the state.
In West Bengal, activists from CPI (M) affiliated organizations such as CITU and DYFI took to the streets in the Jadavpur, Garia, Kamalgazi, Lake Town and Dumdum areas of Kolkata.
The Kerala Vyparai Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi, the largest group of merchants in the state, has let the units decide for themselves whether they want to close the blinds with safety factors in mind.
In addition to the unions, some banking associations participated in the strike. While the State Bank of India and private sector banks operated throughout India, operations in public sector banks where participating unions have strong control suffered.
In West Bengal, activists from CPI (M) affiliated organizations such as CITU and DYFI took to the streets in the Jadavpur, Garia, Kamalgazi, Lake Town and Dumdum areas of Kolkata and forced traders to close the shutters. A large police contingent was deployed in and around the city to monitor traffic flow and prevent outbreaks.
The number of road transport was lower today than usual in West Bengal
While the ruling Trinamool congressional government did not support the strike, it said it supported the economic problems that the left and Congress were protesting.
A group of activists also formed a picket line in front of the Howrah train station, one of the main entry points to Kolkata, calling on taxi drivers to stop services. Protesters clashed with police in Barasat in the northern Parganas 24 district, resorting to burning tires and breaking bus windscreens in Coochbehar and Jhargram districts, PTI reported.
In an attempt to enforce the bandh, several rioters squatted on the train tracks, knocking commuter rail services in the Sealdah division out of gear, an Eastern Railway spokesperson said. Television channels showed CPI (M) leader Sujan Chakraborty and a group of protesters blocking the train tracks at Jadavpur station in southern Kolkata.
All stores were open in the new Dharmatala market but the footprint was low
“Banana leaves were thrown on overhead cables at Mathurapur and Hotor train stations in South Sealdah
section, thus affecting the movement of the train, ”PTI quoted an Eastern Railway spokesperson as saying.
Subway train services were not interrupted despite police thwarted an offer by a group of Forward Bloc supporters to enter the Central subway station on the North-South line to prevent commuters from boarding the trains.
In neighboring Odisha, union activists blocked roads in the state capital, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Berhampur, Bhadrak, Balasore, Khurda, Rayagada and Paradip, although no adverse incidents were reported anywhere in the state. Holding placards and banners demanding the immediate repeal of “anti-peasant” and “anti-worker” laws and measures and the privatization of public sector units, the protesters held demonstrations in different areas of the state.
A group of activists also formed a picket line in front of the Howrah train station, one of the main entry points to Kolkata, calling on taxi drivers to stop services.
Most of the shops and markets were closed and vehicle movement was skeletal in Tripura, a former stronghold of the left. Government offices and banks were open. However, the opposition CPI (M) and CPI claimed that there was sporadic violence in different districts and accused the ruling BJP of “vandalism”. Claiming that their strike was a “total success,” party leaders claimed that BJP cadres attacked the CITU state headquarters and a CPI office out of frustration.
“None of our supporters picketed the streets today according to our policy. The common people have wholeheartedly supported our agitation and made the bandh a total success. However, some BJP supporters attacked our CITU headquarters in Agartala, smashed furniture and threw abuses, threw stones. We condemn this cowardly attack, ”CITU State President and former Transport Minister Manik Dey told reporters.
The leaders of the CPI (M) and the CPI affirmed that the BJP cadres attacked the CITU state headquarters and a CPI office (Source: CPI)
PCI leader Bikramjit Sengupta said his party’s Junu Das Smriti Bhawan office in Agartala was also attacked. There were also reports of clashes in Belonia of South Tripura and the Unakoti district. A duty officer from the Tripura police headquarters said six people were detained in Unakoti.
Reacting to the allegations, BJP spokesman Nabendu Bhattacharya said that none of his party’s workers were involved in acts of violence or coercion during strike hours. Bhattacharya said that the strike had failed miserably and that several leaders of the CPI (M), including the mayor of Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC), Dr. Prafullajit Sinha, were seen engaged in everyday activities such as buying products at the market during bandh.
“The people have rejected this strike. They themselves have staged a drama of attack on their party offices and are blaming the BJP for hiding their failure, “he said.
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