Mamata calls off 48-hour bandh

KOLKATA: Unable to cope with internal pressure within her party, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday temporarily postponed the 48-hour strike in West Bengal that was scheduled from December 21.

Officially, Mamata has cited the Christmas festivities as the major reason for postponement of the strike call. “Members of the Christian society have requested me to withdraw the 48-hour strike. We honour public request and we are postponing the strike for the time being,” Ms Banerjee told reporters.

Significantly, Calcutta High Court on Wednesday issued an order asking Trinamool Congress to withdraw the bandh. But Trinamool Congress sources stressed the party had not postponed the strike in the light of the high court order.

She, however, did not rule out the possibility of holding the strike in the near future. “Our decision to call the strike again depends solely on the state government. If the government returns the land which it had acquired forcibly from the Singur farmers and withdraws the prohibitory order under Section 144 CrPC, we will withdraw our agitation,” Ms Banerjee reiterated adding she would not end her fast even though chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had requested several times.


Earlier on Wednesday, Ms Banerjee had written to the chief minister requesting him not to make the Singur development a “prestige issue” and return the land forcibly from the farmers. Consequently, the chief minister sent Mr Bhaskar Layek, a member of his secretariat with a letter to the site where Mamata continued her fast for the 17th day. In his letter, the chief minister had also requested Mamata to end her fast.