Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reiterated her support for the peasant movement but said she would not support Tuesday's bandh. The Chief Minister has directed the state administration to keep everything operational and running on Tuesday.
According to state government sources, the chief minister has given clear instructions that even though some might hit the street in support of the peasant movement but under no circumstance that movement should pose problems for the common people.
At the same time, all state government employees have been directed to report on duty in their respective offices in time on Tuesday. "The chief minister has directed to ensure that all sorts of public services are functioning normally on Tuesday," a state government official said.
But the state Congress and state Left Front leadership has described such a stand of the chief minister as her dichotomy. According to them, the chief minister's stand and statements are not based on facts. They have strongly criticized the chief minister's "dual stand" on this strike issue.
According to senior Congress leader and the leader of the opposition in West Bengal assembly, Abdul Mannan, had the chief minister been really sympathetic towards the peasants' cause, her party would have wholeheartedly supported Tuesday's bandh. Actually, she wants to move along with a clandestine understanding with BJP. She knows it very well that BJP's wrath can be really dangerous for her," Mannan said.
The leader of the Left Parties in West Bengal assembly, Dr Sujan Chakrabarty said that had the chief minister been really serious in opposing the new agriculture bill, she could have passed an ordinance in West Bengal assembly banning the concerned bill in this state. "For that purpose, she could have convened a special session of the state assembly. In reality, the chief minister has also taken an anti-farmer stand," Chakrabarty said.
However, the chief minister, herself placed her own logic in support of her stand. According to her, Trinamool Congress has never supported any kind of strike since it came to power in Bengal in 2011. "Our government firmly believes that only common and poor people suffer because of the strike, We are supporting the ongoing peasant movement and at the same time also opposing the new agriculture bill. But that does not mean that we will support the strike," the chief minister said.
