Mamata Banerjee had asked people in Bengal to ignore the strike supported by the opposition. (PTI)
Highlights
- Chief Minister thanks those who defied strike call by trade unions
- Those who came to work will get extra holiday during Durga Puja: Mamata
- Usually crippled by strikes, bandh saw little impact besides on banking
If you are in West Bengal and went to work today despite the strike call by trade unions, you will receive a Durga Puja gift this year - one extra day of holiday. And you have Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to thank for it.
"I congratulate the people of Bengal for putting a bandh to bandhs...This is a positive sign for future of Bengal. Those who came to work today will get an extra holiday during Durga Puja," Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said in a statement from Dubai en route to Italy and then Germany.
Before leaving the city, the Chief Minister had said that she would monitor the situation from wherever she was. The administration ensured that troublemakers were identified and stopped from blocking traffic. One Trinamool minister even presented flowers to those who ventured out.
Kolkata, a city known for strikes, witnessed the unthinkable. People boarded buses and trains to get to work on a day which in the past would simply have been considered an extra holiday. In fact most buses were not packed as many had imagined there would be trouble on the streets.
People defied the strike call to report to work. (PTI)
Syed Rashid, a sales executive, told NDTV, "If you are going to do a bandh you will go backward. Have you heard of a bandh call in the UK or US? That's why they are going forward. And we get one chance and we call a bandh. That's why we are going backward."
The banking sector however remained paralysed with most private and public sector banks remaining shut, except for State Bank of India.
"The economic policies pursued by this government forced us to go on strike. This government is OLX government. There is a site called OLX where you can sell everything," said Ashok Das, Convenor of the United Forum of Bank Unions for Allahabad Bank.
The opposition however claimed success. "Only the state government under the leadership of the Chief Minister is opposing the strike by using her party cadres and the administration. There are buses but no passengers in them. Only policemen are in the bus," said Rabin Deb, a CPI(M) leader.