Congress, CPI(M) trade unions call for strike in West Bengal on April 30

PTI, Kolkata April 26, 2015: CITU, INTUC and six Left-backed trade unions today jointly called a 24-hour general strike in West Bengal on April 30 to protest against alleged violence in the just-concluded civic polls in the state.

Holding the ruling Trinamool Congress government responsible for the alleged violence during the polls in the state, veteran CITU leader Shyamal Chakraborty said, "To protest against violence during civic polls, we have decided to call a 24-hour general strike in West Bengal on Thursday (April 30)."

Asserting that democracy was "murdered" during the polls in the state, Chakraborty said, "If this (kind of violence) happens in the civic polls, I fear to think what will happen in 2016 when the state goes for the Assembly elections... This cannot go on and we want everybody to protest against this."

Welcoming other parties to join them in the general strike, Chakraborty said, "We invite all irrespective of their political colour to unite and join us in the strike because we cannot let democracy be murdered."
INTUC's Bengal unit president Ramen Pandey said that he would try to make Adhir Chowdhury, Bengal Congress president, to participate in the strike. "We absolutely support the strike since the anarchy of the state government cannot go on. We have seen violence during and after the polls which must be stopped," Pandey said.

IANS, Kolkata: West Bengal's opposition Left Front on Sunday called a statewide 12-hour general strike on April 30 in protest against what it called "destruction of democracy" by the ruling Trinamool Congress in the recent civic polls.
Accusing the Trinamool of indulging in "rampant rigging" and "violence", LF chairman Biman Bose said police were reduced to a "lame duck status" as the ruling party let loose "anti-social elements" to deny people their right to vote freely.
The strike would continue from 6 am to 6 pm.
Meanwhile, four left trade unions as also the Congress-affiliated INTUC and the Hind Mazdoor Sabha convened a 24-hour general strike in the state on the same day articulating the same demand.
LF major Communist Party of India-Marxist-backed CITU's state president Shyamal Chakraborty said the trade unions had already called a 24-hour nationwide transport strike on April 30 to highlight issues facing the transport workers.
"We did not want to burden the people of West Bengal for two days by calling the general strike on another day. So we have called it on April 30 itself," he said.
However, soon after the trade unions gave the call, the Cricket Association of Bengal wrote to Bose requesting the strike be postponed in view of the Indian Premier League game scheduled on that day.
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are slated to take on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at 8 pm on April 30 and according to the letter, tickets have already been sold to the public.
"The tickets for the said match have already been distributed and sold out to the public for witnessing. You are, therefore, requested to postpone your above 'Bangla Bandh' and fix any other date not hampering the IPL match," said the letter from CAB Treasurer Biswarup Dey on Sunday.
Bose, who held a media conference a little later to announce the 12-hour strike, said holding the match should not be a problem as the strike would be over by 6 p.m. - two hours before the start of the IPL game.
He also informed that the LF leadership has appealed to the trade unions to reduce the duration of their planned 24-hour protest to 12 hours.
Taking umbrage at the strike call, the Trinamool said it would "actively oppose the attempt at disrupting normal life".
"We condemn the move to disrupt normal life. We will not only verbally protest, but actively oppose it also," said state Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee.