Thaindian News

Kolkata, Aug 23 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday urged the parties to do away with the “politics of bandhs (shutdowns) and strikes” and requested an all-party meet to discuss the issue.

She also said legislation was needed to bring and end to shutdowns, blockades and strikes.

“The culture and heritage of our state should not be destroyed by the politics of bandhs. We need to revive our heritage and culture. There is a need to do away with strikes and lockouts and the way ahead is to keep the industries open. Frequent shutdowns badly affect industry and commerce,” said Banerjee here.

With frequent political rallies and processions crippling the traffic leading to the common man’s sufferings, she proposed identification of parts of the city where such rallies and meetings would be confined to and said an all party meeting would be called for the purpose.

“In the last 35 years when they (Left Front) were in power, we (Trinamool Congress) were never allowed to express our views. But we will follow the path of democracy and call them and seek their suggestions. So far as possible we will try to go ahead, taking everybody along.”

Reacting to the issue of Banerjee’s call for an all party meet, Leader of Opposition Surya Kant Mishra of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) said: “They have also called bandhs, so have we. So far as our democratic rights are concerned, bandh is our right and we cannot forgo it. However, there will be an all party meet on the issue and we will not boycott it.”

The state over the years has witnessed political parties calling frequent shutdowns crippling daily life. Along with the common people, industry and commerce suffered with the image of the state taking a beating.

–Indo-Asian News service
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