CITU strike total in Left-ruled West Bengal and Tripura

Kolkata, Dec 14 (UNI) Left Front-ruled West Bengal and Tripura showed the red signal to normal life as the CITU-sponsored nationwide strike brought both states to a standstill today.

West Bengal and Tripura came to a halt as the Left unions enforced a day-long nationwide strike against the ''anti-people'' economic and labour policies of the UPA Government.

Congress-affiliated INTUC and RSS-backed BMS stayed away from the ''politically motivated'' strike.

West Bengal virtually remained isolated from the rest of the nation, but Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's dream IT sector stood apart.

Mr Bhattacharrjee said functioning in the state's IT industry was ''more than normal'' as employees participated in work.

Even though CITU did not exempt the sector from the purview of the strike, Mr Bhattacharjee had assured that the Government would make all arrangements to keep work bustling in IT - and it happened so, barring in a few cases.

''The functioning in IT industry is more than normal,'' he said.

The Chief Minister's statement, however, contradicted the claim of Transport Minister Subhash Chakraborty, who said most of the employees in the sector had joined the strike.

While IT Minister Debesh Das supported Mr Bhattacharjee, saying normal work had been reported from the city's Salt Lake sector five, CITU state president Shyamal Chakraborty also admitted that it was ''apparently normal''.

But Transport Minister Subhash Chakraborty contradicted his statement, saying many IT employees participated in the strike.

The state remained isolated by road, rail and air from rest of the country as all modes of transport were immobilised denying anybody to leave or arrive.

Claiming that the strike was ''total and spontaneous'', CITU state president Shyamal Charkaborty said employees and workers in the state and Central Governement offices, Banks, insurance companies, factories, coal mines, tea gardens, railways, airports and ports took part in it.

''It was a spontaneous strike. All sections of working people participated in it and no force was used,'' he said.

Home Secretary Prasad Ranjan Ray said 25 people had been arrested from different parts of the state on charge attempting forcible closure during today's strike.

Life in Left-ruled Tripura was paralysed as employees of government offices and commercial establishments joined the strike.

'The shutdown was total and hundred per cent successful in support of the 16-point charter of demands,' said Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) Tripura state secretary Pijush Nag.

Markets, shops and business establishments, government and semi-government offices and educational institutions remained closed while roads were deserted.

The rail and air traffic between Tripura and the rest of the country was disrupted due to the strike.

Activists of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and other Left parties organised rallies and protests in front of central government offices here.

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