Attacking the Left parties and the Congress over violence and vandalism during the ‘Bharat Bandh’ protests, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday 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.

According to the reports, extending her support to the cause of the strike, Mamata Banerjee warned the left and the Congress party that her party and government is against any sort of shutdown.

“We will not allow any strike in Bengal. Those who do not have any political existence in the state are trying to ruin its economy by pursuing cheap politics such as strikes,” she said.

#Breaking | West Bengal CM @MamataOfficial slams the Bharat Bachao protest. ‘Stop this hooliganism in the name of protest’, says CM Mamata Banerjee. TIMES NOW’s Tamal Saha with details. pic.twitter.com/23TH7WDRgY — TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) January 8, 2020

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee also said CPIM has no ideology. “Planting bombs on railway tracks is ‘Gundagardi’. In the name of the movement, commuters are being beaten up and stones are being pelted. This is ‘Dadagiri’, not a movement,” she said.

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Mamata Banerjee also launched an attack against the left parties by claiming that they have not engaged in any mass movement against CAA or NRC, neither in Bengal nor across the country, but wanted to take a short cut by calling a strike.

During the Bharat Bandh protests, incidents of violence were reported from various parts of West Bengal on Wednesday as trade union activists backed by Left and Congress members had tried to enforce the 24-hour strike against the Centre’s “anti-people” policies.

A clash had broken out between workers of the Trinamool Congress and Students Federation of India (SFI) in Burdwan. A bus was also vandalised in Cooch Behar during the protest called by trade unions against the government.

Trade unions across the country had called for a nationwide strike on Wednesday against alleged ‘anti-working class policies’ of the Modi-led government. Banking, transport and other services were hit by the strike, especially in non-BJP ruled states. However, large parts of the country remained unaffected.