By IANS,
New Delhi : Refuting West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s widely publicised comments that he was against ‘bandhs’, the Communist Party of India-Marxist Thursday asserted that it firmly stood for the right to strike by the working class as a fundamental right.
“The CPI-M firmly stands for the right to strike by the working class as a fundamental right,” the party politburo said in a statement.
“It has consistently supported the all India general strikes of the trade unions against the neo-liberal policies of the central government and other urgent issues of the working class and toiling people,” it said.
The West Bengal chief minister, known as the poster-boy of ‘modern communists’, had invited severe criticism from his colleagues in the CPI-M and allies for his remark against shutodwns.
Addressing a business gathering in Kolkata Tuesday, Bhattacharjee said: “Personally, I don’t support strikes. Bandhs (shutdowns) do not help the country” and added that he found siege and shutdowns “immoral”.
“Unfortunately, I belong to a political party. They call strikes and I keep mum,” he said.
Bhattacharjee’s remarks left the leaders of the Centre for Trade Union (CITU), the trade union wing of the CPI-M, fuming. They said calling for a bandh was the very “legitimate right” of a political party.