West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will not be attending the Opposition meet in Delhi that has been convened by Sonia Gandhi. The meeting is scheduled for January 13.
"I will not attend the meeting convened by Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on Jan 13 in protest against Congress-Left hooliganism during Wednesday's strike," Banerjee said at the West Bengal Assembly.
"Will continue fight against CAA, NRC, NPR but would not support violent protests and strikes," Banerjee added.
On Wednesday, the 24-hour nationwide strike by central trade unions in West Bengal was marked by incidents of violence and arson, blocking of railway tracks and roads by protesters trying to enforce the shut down, officials said.
The protesters blocked a major road at Sujapur in Malda district, torched several vehicles including a police van, ransacked government buses and set fire to tyres. When police tried to control the situation, they hurled stones and crude bombs.
This led the police to baton-charged the mob, burst teargas shells and fire rubber bullets, they said.
Railway tracks and roads were blocked in various parts of the state affecting normal life.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had opposed the strike call, blamed the central trade unions, the Left Front and the Congress for the violence.
Slamming the Left and the Congress for trying to enforce the bandh, Banerjee said that those who do not have any political existence in the state are trying to ruin its economy by pursuing "cheap politics" of strikes.
While the Chief Minister had said earlier that that she extended her support to the cause of the strike, she had also reiterated that her party and government was against any sort of shutdown.
"We will not allow any strike in Bengal. Those who don't have any political existence in the state are trying to ruin its economy by pursuing cheap politics such as strikes.
We will not let them impose strike in the state," she said here in South 24 Parganas district.
Responding to Banerjee's criticism that opposition parties were indulging in "cheap politics", the CPI(M) and Congress was quick to return fire. They accused Banerjee of instigating violence and claimed that TMC cadres and police personnel had indulged in violence in the state.
CPI(M) Politburo member Mohammed Salim claimed TMC cadres and police personnel had indulged in violence, specially in Malda district, after being instigated by Banerjee herself.
Salim's view was echoed by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Congess leader in Lok Sabha, who too blamed Banerjee for inciting violence during the strike.
TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee said the video footage cited by Salim if found to be true is condemnable but added that he was sure that the CPI(M) and the Congress were indulged in falsehood to hide their sins.
West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh said the "culture of strike and shutdown" have been rejected by the people of the state.
Senior CITU leader Shyamal Chakraborty claimed that the strike was a "complete success" in West Bengal.
(With inputs from agencies)
