People's Democracy

Trinamul-Called Bandh Flops

THE Trinamul Congress-sponsored bandh (shut-down) in Bengal failed to evoke any response from among the people. The wage earner, the employee, and the kisans all over the state ignored the bandh.  Attendance in government as well as private offices equalled the norms seen on other working days.  A large number of buses, trams, as well as trains ran.  The metro in Kolkata ran as usual.  Several schools and the Kolkata University continued with scheduled examinations. 

The fact that the Trinamul Congress was losing its support base was clearly seen when the lumpens of that party indulged in mayhem around the area surrounding Mamata Banerjee’s residence in order to force shopkeepers to down shutters and to stop buses from plying.  Several bombs were exploded to scare away pedestrians going about their daily business.

Anil Biswas, state secretary of the CPI (M) said while felicitating the people for making the adventurist and opportunistic bandh call a flop, said that the recent judgement of the Kolkata High Court on banning bandhs, and the controversy the judgement raised allowed some people to participate in the bandh as a means of registering their protest against the court’s decision.  Biswas dubbed the Trinamool Congress bandh as completely unreasonable and politically motivated.

Describing the bandh called by the Trinamul Congress as smacking of irresponsibility, Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said that three bandhs called by the Trinamul Congress, the SUCI, and the CPI(ML) represented aberrations in the long tradition of struggles and movements of the masses of the people.