Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress on Friday said it supported the issues that had led to the Opposition parties to call the September 10 Bharat Bandh like the spiralling fuel prices, but ruled out its support to the shutdown.
Instead, the TMC plans to take out protest marches across the state on the day against the increasing prices of essential commodities like petrol, diesel, cooking gas and the falling value of rupee, party secretary general Partha Chatterjee said on Friday.
"We don't support the bandh as it results in loss of mandays and impacts the ongoing development process in the state. But we have full support for the issues that have led the Opposition parties to call for Bharat Bandh," Chatterjee said.
"We are not opposing the strike, but neither will we participate in it," Chatterjee told reporters.
Elaborating on TMC's protests against the "anti-people" policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chatterjee said a march would be taken out on the 1.5 km stretch between Moulali to Dorina crossing in the city along with all the districts of the state.
However, the TMC does "not want life to be paralysed" in the state, he clarified.
"The country's economy is at stake and the entire situation is heading towards disaster under the BJP Rule," Chatterjee, also a senior cabinet minister in West Bengal said.
Rising prices of essential commodities, including petrol, diesel and LPG has made the life of the common man miserable. The situation is worsening with the daily weakening of the rupee, he added.
On Thursday, the Congress and Left parties called for a countrywide shutdown to protest against rising prices of essential commodities, hike in fuel prices and the economic policies of the Modi government.
However, cracks seemed to have appeared in the Left Front with the All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) deciding to stay away from the shutdown, accusing major partner CPI(M)'s central leadership of not consulting it before taking the call.
Playing down the suspected tiff, CPI(M) state secretary Surya Kanta Mishra alleged "some mis-communication" and stressed that the AIFB was not "opposing the strike".
He further appealed to the people of Bengal to come out in support of the Left Front's 12-hour shut down from 6 am.
On TMC's decision to stay away, Mishra said if the party was serious about opposing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its policies, it should join the shutdown.
Meanwhile, a West Bengal finance department notice said all state government offices, including those getting grants-in-aid will remain open on September 10 and all the employees should report for duty on that day.
"It has also been decided that no casual leave for absence either in the first-half of the day or in the second-half or the for the whole day nor any other leave shall be granted to any employee on the said date," the notice said.
Employees who are on leave on Friday should report for duty on Monday and no extension of leave would be allowed, it added.
The absence of employees on that date will be treated as 'dies non' and no salary will be admissible unless such absence is for their hospitalisation or bereavement in their family.
"Or severe illness and absence and continuing prior September 7, 2018. And employees who had been on child care leave or medical leave and earned leave sanctioned before Friday," the notice said.
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