Tripura Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) president and CPI(M) central committee leader Manik Dey on Tuesday said the state government was “trying to confuse” people on Wednesday’s Bharat Bandh. The BJP-led governments at the Centre and the state have caused a severe crisis in the lives of workers, he added.
Dey’s remarks came against the backdrop of Tripura minister Sudhangshu Das saying that the Bharat Bandh or nationwide workers’ strike on Wednesday would fail. Das also attacked the Communists, saying they were agents of “anti-national, anti-democratic, anti-traditional China and Pakistan”.
“The ruling party is trying to confuse some people about the nationwide strike…They are trying to act as if they are in favour of employment. It is surprising to see those who are trying to create a jobless country speak in this country. The strike is meant to speak for the rights of workers,” Dey, the former Tripura transport minister, said.
“Massive gas prices, CNG price hike, petrol and diesel price hike, insurance premium hike, and tax burdens on different sections of workers were seen in the last few years. Transport sector workers, construction workers, tea garden workers and workers of different sectors are reeling under a severe crisis,” he added.
Apart from expressing confidence that the Bharat Bandh would be a success, Dey urged BJP activists struggling under the current economy to join the strike.
Dey’s comments came after Das, the minister of Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Animal Resource Development, and Fisheries, posted a message on Facebook. “The dream of the leftist Communists, agents of anti-national, anti-democratic, anti-traditional China and Pakistan, is that one day they will call for a general strike across the state, and with their words, all the people of the state will leave all their daily activities and sit at home. But time and again, the people of the state have thwarted their wishes and dreams. And on the 9th, the same is going to happen, the strike of these Maoist leftists will fail. So, go and see the Chinese agents, and let the people live in peace,” Das said in his post.
In a video message on Tuesday, the minister stated that the Left parties were attempting to create unrest in the state and regain power through unfair means. The strike has been called to create disturbance and test the organisational strength of the Communist parties, the minister claimed, and urged people to reject the “anti-employment” strike.
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In response, Dey said, “These comments were made to confuse people. This minister has been making such comments for a long time. These comments will turn out to be ridiculous…Communists have a long history of staying with the people in favour of their rights.”
Last week, the state government had issued a notification asking all departments to submit a report on employee attendance on Wednesday to the general administration department by noon on the same day.
A forum of 10 trade unions had earlier announced a nationwide general strike on Wednesday and expressed hopes that over 25 crore workers engaged in different sectors, including banking, insurance, postal, mining, construction, etc., would take part in the protest.
