Congress, CPI-M trade unions call for strike on Apr 30

CITU, INTUC and six Left-backed trade unions today jointly called a 24-hour general strike in West Bengal on April 30 to protest against alleged violence in the just-concluded civic polls in the state.
Holding the ruling Trinamool Congress government responsible for the alleged violence during the polls in the state, veteran CITU leader Shyamal Chakraborty said, "To protest against violence during civic polls, we have decided to call a 24-hour general strike in West Bengal on Thursday (April 30)."
Asserting that democracy was "murdered" during the polls in the state, Chakraborty said, "If this (kind of violence) happens in the civic polls, I fear to think what will happen in 2016 when the state goes for the Assembly elections... This cannot go on and we want everybody to protest against this."

Welcoming other parties to join them in the general strike, Chakraborty said, "We invite all irrespective of their political colour to unite and join us in the strike because we cannot let democracy be murdered."
INTUC's Bengal unit president Ramen Pandey said that he would try to make Adhir Chowdhury, Bengal Congress president, to participate in the strike.
"We absolutely support the strike since the anarchy of the state government cannot go on. We have seen violence during and after the polls which must be stopped," Pandey said.