BHUBANESWAR: The ruling BJD has extended its support to the all India strike called by the central trade unions on January 8 against the failure of the Centre in controlling price rise of essential commodities, not taking any step to solve the growing unemployment problem in the country and bring the economy back on track.
Announcing the BJD’s support to the strike called by the trade unions, Minister for Food Supply and Consumer Welfare Ranendra Pratap Swain said that Centre’s slogan, 'Sab Ka Saath, Sab Ka Vikas,' has now become Sab Ka Vinash.
Congress and the Left parties had on Monday announced their support for the bandh call. With the ruling BJD announcing support for the Bandh call, speculation is rife that the impact of the strike will be felt in the State.
However, hours after extending support to the strike call Swain retracted from his statement and said that it will have no bearing on the party.m "My statement in the media a little while ago comes from the fact that I am the working president of Hind Mazdoor Sabha and taking up the plight of the labourers and working class is my moral duty," the senior minister said in a tweet.
Swain further said, "However, this has in no way any bearing to the BJD’s decision to either support or oppose tomorrow’s strike. These are different and I accept and respect whatever decision our party supremo Naveen Patnaik ji will take."
In fact, the ruling BJD is unlikely to take any decision officially regarding the Bharat bandh called by the Central trade unions against the rise in the price of essential commodities, growing unemployment, lack of any initiative by the Centre to bring economy back on the track and other issues.
Earlier, announcing the BJD’s support to Bharat bandh called by the trade unions, the Minister had said that the Centre’s slogan, ‘Sab Ka Saath, Sab Ka Vikas,’ has now become ‘Sab Ka Vinash.’ The Congress had extended support to Bharat bandh on Tuesday after a delegation of Left parties met him at the Congress Bhavan.
Sources in the BJD said that Chief Minister will attend programmes and events for the entire day at Baripada on Wednesday. “The programmes would not have been held had the BJD decided to extend support to the all-India strike,” a senior BJD leader said. Besides inaugurating a branch of Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), the Chief Minister is scheduled to address a public meeting at Baripada.
Meanwhile, the Utkal University has postponed all examination scheduled tomorrow in view of the strike call. Date of the deferred examinations will be notified later on.
“In view of the Bharat Bandh called by different organisations, all examinations scheduled to be held on January 8, 2020 are hereby postponed. Date of the said examinations will be notified later,” a notification issued by the Utkal University said.
The Cuttack Bar Association and the Criminal Court’s Bar Association have unanimously decided to abstain from court work on Wednesday in view of the All India General Strike.
Though speculation is rife that government offices and educational institutions will remain closed tomorrow in view of the bandh call, no official notification has been issued in this regard so far. A government notification from last year on the same date, announcing the closure of educational institutions is doing the rounds in social media adding to the confusion. The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), however, maintained that no decision has been taken by the government in this regard so far.