Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress is not consistent with its policies but runs on the whims and fancies of the party head and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's, BJP West Bengal state President Sukanta Majumdar told The Indian Express (TIE).
Reacting to the party's stand not to back the nationwide strike on 28 and 29 March, Majumdar said that TMC has no proper policies and what they have are subject to changes. If the party feels that bandh should not be observed, it won't be, and if they think the other way round, they will support a strike, too, Majumdar said. The party's constant policy is its attacks on the Opposition and "reign of terror," Majumdar told TIE.
CPI(M) in the state also raised their disapproval of the TMC government's stand, terming it a "double standard". The government is choking the democratic rights of political parties, and they strongly condemn that, CPI(M) state secretary Mohammed Salim told TIE.
The strike, called by a joint forum of nationwide trade unions supported by banking unions, didn't receive support from the TMC ruled West Bengal.
The Mamata Banerjee government had issued an order on March 26 prohibiting government employees from joining the strike. The order mandated state government offices to remain open and employees to report for duty on the two strike days. Any would be treated as "dies non (not counted)" and without salary.
The TMC always backed bandhs while it was in the Opposition, particularly contenting union governments policies, and the new decision by the party to back out from the event was a significant shift, TIE reports.
However, during the farmer's protest, TMC had joined hands with the all-India-strike last year. Regarding that, Mamata reasoned that her party did not support the bandhs, but then it was extending its solidarity for the farmers to repeal the three farm laws.
TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh told TIE that the government in Bengal has a clear-cut policy against bandhs. It does not wish to lose person-days by supporting a bandh. The party had supported bandhs before but never observed it, he claimed. He said that people, in general, do not wish to see strikes anymore.