ANOTHER STRIKE, ANOTHER SOLUTIONLESS AGENDA

Protest is what matters, people be damned.

“People face problems 364 days a year. What’s the big deal with just another day? Also, this bandh is for a good cause,” said Kali Ghosh, Citu’s general secretary, trying to drum up support for Tuesday’s general strike against price rise, the Centre’s policy on divestment and privatisation, and more.

Hours before shutdown, Ghosh urged Calcuttans wary of another day of disruption — that too in the run-up to Id festivities — to take a day’s inconvenience in their stride as the cause behind the strike was “right”.

But support for the strike — called on the auspicious Day 27 of the Ramazan month — dwindled on Monday as Intuc, the labour arm of the Congress, publicly distanced itself from the strike.

“There is no question of supporting Citu’s general strike. We are concerned about the interests of the industrial workers and their job security, so we will observe a strike in industrial units only,” said Pradip Bhattacharyya, the president of Intuc.

With Inttuc, Trinamul’s labour arm, opposing the strike and some Muslim organisations renouncing the strike call days before Id, Citu leaders have exempted “Muslim-dominated areas” from the realm of the strike.

Id is scheduled either on Friday or Saturday depending on the sighting of the moon.

In the face of growing criticism, Ghosh claimed that Intuc would lend “full support” to the 24-hour general strike.

“We don’t want to inconvenience people at large, particularly during the Ramazan month and so it is only an industrial strike for us. Besides, we have also decided not to enforce it,” clarified Bhattacharyya in a clear rebuttal to Ghosh’s claims.

Realising the public sentiment, Citu leaders have also spread the word among cadres not to enforce the shutdown and be “extra careful” in areas like Rajabazar, Kidderpore, Garden Reach and Park Circus. Railways and airlines have also been exempted.

The strike strategy in mixed areas — like New Market, pockets along CR Avenue, Mirzapur and parts of Tiljala — remained hazy till late on Monday as Citu leaders told local comrades to take a call depending on the public mood.

“The Muslims are drifting away from us…. Now, if we are seen as creating inconvenience before Id, it will cause further alienation,” said a senior CPM leader.

According to him, some people in the party had suggested a 12-hour strike so as not to disrupt Id shopping after iftaar. But the Citu leadership did not want to reduce the duration, as it would have looked like a climbdown under pressure.

Though the Citu leadership seemed set to steer clear of strong-arm tactics to enforce the strike, the fear of disruption and non-availability of public transport — buses, minibuses and taxi unions are Citu strongholds — prompted most schools to declare a holiday and colleges and universities to reschedule exams.

The IT sector is likely to be hit by the 24-hour bandh even though the cops have assured pick-up services to techies from Ultadanga, Sinthee More, Number 4 bridge at Park Circus and the intersection of SP Mukherjee Road and Prince Anwar Shah Road.

“We have lost a lot in Bengal in the last two years…. It is high time to explore alternative ways to register protest,” said Bikram Dasgupta, chairman, the Globsyn group.