Click to play videoNew Delhi: The nationwide strike called by Left unions against the Government's economic reform policies crippled the Marxist bastions of West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura and affected banks and industries in many states.
While the red bastions witnessed virtual shutdown, slogan shouting Left-backed MPs gave Parliament a feel of Kolkata and Thiruvanathapuram politics.
All the frustration of not being able to extract much from the many Left-UPA coordination meetings came out in the open.
Determined to pursue reforms first unleashed in 1991 but not wanting to offend the Left, the government said it had no plans to deviate from the common minimum programme (CMP), the agenda of governance that was framed in 2004 after consultations with the communists.
"This government is violating the election mandate. People voted you in for a different policy. Unfortunately, you are simply following the same policies of the previous NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government," said CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta said.
The daylong strike paralysed life in West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura, all of which are ruled by leftwing coalitions headed by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).
In all three states, industries were shut along with shops, government offices, post offices and educational institutions
West Bengal: It’s a hit
West Bengal was the worst hit. Roads were virtually deserted. Train services were crippled. And there was en masse cancellation of flights, stranding thousands.
Despite appeals by its Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, a man determined to transform the Red bastion into an industrial hub, the hardliners who control the CPI-M's trade union did not spare the IT industry.
Attendance in the sector in Kolkata was much less than usual. Only employees who stayed overnight or lived in the neighbourhood kept IT firms on a life support system.
Global IT leader Wipro recorded 60 percent attendance. Many others witnessed a much less turnout. IBM kept its shutters down in Kolkata on its own.
Kolkata's Metro Rail ferried only 91 passengers before activists of the Centre of Indian Trade Union (CITU) beat up a motorman, bringing the service to a halt.
Kerala: Bandh gets red-carpet welcome
In the red bastion of Kerala, the bandh was predictably total. For the Left government in power, there were no neo-liberal questions of the kind that the Buddhadeb government faces in West Bengal. Nearly 30,000 buses stayed off roads, shops downed shutters and streets were deserted. Airports and railways too did not record any arrival or departure.
The low turn-out in government offices and complete disruption of all services also depicted the power of trade unions in Kerala and the attitude of the average Malayalee who has now learned to live with bandhs and strikes.
Delhi: Fog strikes
In Delhi it wasn’t the striking unions but the fog that held up flights. But the limited success of the strike in Kerala and West Bengal continued to echo in Parliament.
Madhya Pradesh: Partial success
Work in several central government offices and many public sector banks came to a grinding halt in Madhya Pradesh following the nation-wide strike.
Employees of the postal and telegraph department, state insurance and other central government offices joined the one-day strike though there was no effect of the strike on the Railways, the Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) and the State Bank of India.
"Bank transaction worth Rs 700 billion was affected in 3,000 bank branches in the state as employees of banks like Indian Overseas Bank, Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra, Bank of Baroda, Rajasthan Bank, Central Bank of India and many others participated in the strike," said Madhya Pradesh Bank Employees Association spokesman V K Sharma.
Gujarat: Joins in
Work in banks and most Central government offices in Gujarat was affected by the day-long nationwide strike.
The MahaGujarat Bank Employees' Association, which is affiliated to the Left unions, claimed banking services were badly affected by the strike.
Around 25 banks whose employees are associated with Left unions are on strike, representatives of the association claimed.
(With CNN-IBN and agency inputs)
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