Opposition-supported strike today
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Dec 10 — The one-day nationwide strike tomorrow called by the National Platform of Mass Organisations (NPMO) to protest against the Centre’s policies especially on the economic front is likely to affect normal life with the organisers claiming that lakhs of workers and peasants will participate in it.

The strike, which also brought out the first signs of another emergence of the ‘third force’, with all the non-Congress opposition parties coming together to lend support to the one-day agitation, was expected to disrupt rail and air services, throw banking activities out of gear and paralyse normal life throughout the country. The day would be marked by agitations and dharnas in the Capital and other parts of the country.

The Bahujan Samaj Party for the first time also joined the constituents of the erstwhile United Front in offering support to the strike. The party joined the other opposition parties in issuing a joint statement against the government’s policies.

The entire opposition today also staged a noisy walk-out in the Lok Sabha protesting against the Centre’s ‘anti-worker attitude’ and repressive measures being taken to foil the strike called by the trade unions.

The strike is expected to turn into a total bandh in West Bengal, Orissa and Bihar, according a CPI leader and President of the World Federation of Trade Unions (UFTU) Indrajit Gupta.

Dharnas, rallies and bandhs will be organised as part of the strike being supported by six left-leaning Central trade unions, including the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC).

Though the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) and the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sabha (BMS) affiliated unions have decided to stay away from the strike, Mr Gupta claimed that trade unions and organisations of peasants, students, youth, women and others would join it.

Admitting that "Delhi is not one of our strongholds", Mr Gupta said they were not expecting any great response in the Capital. "But there will be complete bandh in Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal." He told a press conference with AITUC General Secretary K.L. Mahendra.

Asked whether they feared any violence, Mr Gupta said, "everything depends on how the police acts. If they practice repression, who can prevent clashes. But our instructions are very clear that strike must be peaceful".

According to N.K. Pandhe, convener of the NPMO and General Secretary of Centre of Industrial Trade Union (CITU), the strike will paralyse all industrial establishments, bus, train and air services besides work on ports and docks.

Mr Pandhe said "the wrath and resentment of almost all sections of people will find expression in the strike." The strike was called in pursuit of demands that include enactment of legislation on 33 per cent reservation for women, agricultural workers welfare, introduction of crop insurance, guaranteed minimum wages and a halt to nuclear weaponisation.

Several states today braced to meet tomorrow’s strike and extra vigil was being maintained particularly in industrial areas.

The Kerala High Court directed the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police to ensure that those who did not want to participate in the strike were able to attend to their work.

The Committee of Public Sector Trade Union (CPSTU), All India Insurance Employees Associations and five recognised federations of port and dock sectors decided to join the strike.

Though the Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI) has called upon its units and bank employees to make the strike a success, the BMS-affiliated national organisation of Bank Workers and Officers had announced that they would not participate in the "politically motivated" strike.

However, the INTUC President, Mr G. Sanjeeva Reddy, said the strike will not serve the interests of the working class.

The CPM, CPI, RSP, Forward Bloc, DMK, TMC, BSP, RJD and the National Conference issued a joint statement here expressing solidarity with the call by various organisations for an all-India industrial strike and bandh tomorrow to protest against Government’s economic policies.

At a press conference here, leaders of the parties said they were also protesting against attacks on various minority groups allegedly "at the instance and leadership of communal forces."

The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha members of these parties would also hold an hour-long sit-in in front of the main entrance of Parliament House in the morning and later highlight these issues and strike action in both Houses.

"This government has not learnt lessons from the South-East Asian countries about dangers of senseless globalisation," Mr Somnath Chatterjee (CPM) said.

Meanwhile in the Lok Sabha agitated Opposition members were on their feet as soon as question hour was over and protested against state governments "repressive measures" including use of the "draconian" Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) to crush the one-day strike.

They refused to resume their seats even after Speaker G.M.C. Balayogi repeatedly observed that there would be no zero hour today as the House had some important business to transact.