People's Democracy
(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
No. 38
September 23, 2012
|
Vol. XXXVI
No. 38 September 23, 2012 |
General Strike
Evokes Huge Response Across the
Country As we go to press, we had
received the
following state reports on the September 20 Protest Day.
More reports will
appear in the coming issue. LIFE virtually
came to a standstill
in Suburban train
services were hit with
opposition activists squatting on the railway tracks in
various stations under
Eastern and South Eastern Railways. Streets in Kolkata
wore a deserted
look, as people generally preferred to stay indoors. Private
bus services and
taxis were almost non-existent, though a few government-run
buses were seen on
the roads. The Kolkata Metro Railway services were normal,
but a spokesperson
said there were very few commuters. There is
perceptible response to the
call particularly among the small traders and shops. Shops
and market places
remained closed in most of the areas of the state. The strike was
near total in
industrial areas. Factories and manufacturing units remained
non functional. The strike exposed
the duplicity of
Trinamool Congress. While they vociferously opposed the
diesel price hike and
the opening up of retail for FDI and decided to come out of
the UPA on these
issues, the state government and the ruling party came all
out against the
strike in the state. The chief minister herself issued
threats to employees,
workers and transporters. TMC activists attacked strike
supporters in many
places. They tried to forcibly open shops and attack on the
road blockades. The
people of Hundreads of
processions were
organised by the Left parties throughout the state. Led by
its chairman Biman
Basu and leader of opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra, the Left
Front took out a
large procession from central Kolkata's Moulali to
Mallickbazar. "People have
supported this
strike spontaneously to protect their own future. If the
government does not
roll back its decisions, there will be a bigger movement in
the coming
days," Basu said. KERALA ON September 20,
protest marches were
held in front of central government offices in all the 140
assembly segments of
Kerala under the banner of LDF. Several hundreds of comrades
participated in
each centre. The marches were addressed by the state level
leaders of the
constituents of the LDF. On September 15, hartal was
observed in Kerala by the LDF
in protest against the central government decisions to
increase diesel price,
to limit the supply of LPG cylinders and to allow foreign
investment in retail
trade sector. The hartal was a complete success in Kerala.
Therefore, on
September 20, protest marches alone were held. TRIPURA THE 12-hour strike
called by the Left
Front in Tripura brought the busy life of the state to a
complete standstill
from 6 AM to 6 PM today. As a part of the
countrywide call of
protest action given by the eight Left and secular
opposition parties, the Left
Front Committee in Tripura had given the call for a dawn to
dusk strike in the
state to vent protest against unprecedented hike in the
price of diesel,
limiting the number of subsidised LPG cylinder per family to
just six a year
and entry of FDI in the retail business. From the early
morning itself the
effect of the strike became evident all over the state. The
busy streets of
Agartala including the ever busy Motorstands at Nagerjala,
Radhanagar and ISBT
wore a completely deserted look. The shops and markets
throughout the state
were closed as the merchants and shopkeepers participated in
the strike.
Schools, colleges, government offices were empty, the state
secretariat had run
on skeletal staff. There was complete shut down in Bodhjung
nagar industrial
growth centre and other industrial estates in the state. The
tea estates in South,
North and Unakoti districts were closed. No untoward
incident was reported
from any part of the state as people cutting across
political affiliations came
forward to register their protest against the anti- people
measures of the
Congress led UPA government. The Congress party in the state
had opposed the
strike. However, with the thumping success of the strike, it
was clear that the
people had thoroughly rejected their call. CPI(M) state
secretary Bijan Dhar, on
behalf of the Tripura Left Front Committee congratulated the
people for making
the strike a complete success. He said we congratulate the
people of the state
who, irrespective of their political affiliation, have made
the strike a
complete success while maintaining the atmosphere of peace.
He called upon the
central government to pay heed to the anguished protest of
the people and
immediately roll back these anti people measures. Otherwise,
protests shall be
further intensified. TAMILNADU THE CPI(M), CPI
and AIFB had appealed
to all sections of the people to participate in the protest
day in a massive
way. The hartal and general strike evoked a good response in
major markets,
trading centres and industrial hubs. Traders
throughout the state had downed the shutters of their
establishments. Autorikshaws,
private buses and lorries were off the road. At the call of
the CITU, AITUC and
other central trade unions and the Labour Progressive Front
(LPF), the
organised workers took part in the strike and the public
transport maintained
only a skeleton service in view of the strike of the
transport workers. Goods
movement was affected because of the lorry transport strike.
Almost in all the
major towns of the state, there was picketing in front of
the government
offices. In Chennai, there were picketing programmes in
three places – Central
Railway Station, PUDHUCHERRY THE bandh was near
total in Pudhucherry.
While private buses and
autos went off the roads, government-run buses operated
under convoy protection.
All shops and business establishments remained closed.
Government schools
functioned with less attendance of students and private
schools remained
closed. KARNATAKA The people
overwhelmingly supported
the protest call given by eight Left and Democratic parties.
In Karnataka, the
CPI(M), JD(S), CPI, AIFB and Dalit Sangharsha Smithi
(Ambedkarvada) jointly
endorsed the all Bandh was total.
Buses including
private transport, lorries and autos were off the road.
Hotels and shops did
not open. No work took place in factories. All the cinema
houses were closed
throughout the state. Life almost came to a standstill. Bandh was observed
not only in
district centres but also in taluka centres also. In
