Agartala (Tripura): The 12-hour dawn to dusk strike called by Tripura Pradesh Congress on Monday received mixed responses with dwindled vehicular movement and less than the average crowd in the city. Some blockades were also staged in the National Highways both in the Northern and Southern region of the state prompting long-route vehicles like Buses and lorries keeping off the road for the day.
At Agartala, hundreds of Congress supporters mostly from the Youth Congress gathered at the Congress Bhavan in presence of veterans like the party vice-president Tapas Dey and others.
The supporters of the Congress Party later came out in protests and involved in picketing in the city. Braving the bone-chilling cold, the Congress workers tried to convince everyone to refrain from participating in the economic activities.
In the meantime, the BJP Party workers also came out in counter picketing. BJP Sadar district president Alak Bhattacharjee led a team of BJP supporters who reopened the shops that were once closed by the Congress workers.
The Congress party also alleged that motorcycle gangs were roaming all over in an attempt to foil the strike but public support towards the strike had been spontaneous so far.
Speaking on the issue, president Tripura Pradesh Youth Congress Pujan Biswas said, "Youth Congress activists have hit the streets for picketing everywhere including North and Southern region of the state. In Agartala, we are here and all the government offices have been closed down, movement of commercial vehicles has decreased and only two-wheelers are being driven in the city".
Reacting to the counter picketers, he said, we have seen as to how the BJP is trying to disturb the Bandh. But, the Congress workers are preventing and retaliating wherever the limits are crossed, he added.
"No unlawful activities will be tolerated. Adequate security arrangements are put in place and as of now untoward incident has been reported yet", said Superintendent of police West Tripura Manik Das.
