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12-hour shutdown against price rise in WB begins
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LOCALCORRESPONDENT on 21 April, 2008 04:23:00
 
Kolkata: A 12-hour state-wide shutdown in West Bengal jointly called by the
Trinamool Congress and the Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) began this
morning to protest against the Centre and State Government's inability to
control the rising prices of essential commodities.The Trinamool and its new
alliance partner the SUCI had on Friday announced the joint protest against the
ruling Left Front.
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee said,“The State and the Centre
have failed to initiate any action despite every other anti-price rise
programme, we launched. We have called the shutdown as the State and the Central
Governments have ignored public inconvenience caused by sharp rise in prices of
essential commodities."
“It appears they are sleeping over such a vital issue of rise in prices
of essential commodities in total disregard of the burden faced by the common
people. The inflation rate is going up and the Centre is unmoved. The West
Bengal Government is also indifferent to the sufferings of the people,”
she added.
Her party refrained from calling a strike earlier because of schools' board
examinations, she said. Earlier, Mamata led a procession of supporters of her
party, SUCI and Progressive Democratic Secular Front (PDSF), a 17-party alliance
led by the Trinamool.