AGARTALA, Jan 8 (TIWN): Amid BJP activists, party hooligans led huge threatening against 2 days strike, so far strike remained successful in Tripura. Till now ground reports from Agartala, Sabroom, Sonamura, Mandai and various ADC areas informed that strike has been successful. Along with CPI-M called 2-days-long strike, regional parties have also supported 11 hours strike on today voicing against Modi Govt led controversial Citizenship Bill (Amendment) 2016 which proposed to give illegal Hindu Indians citizenship. Tight security arrangement have been seen in the capital city and other places. Tension is high as Govt announced strict punishment against the Govt employees if they skip the office on these two days long strike, but still office goers numbers heavily decreased, whereas the total report yet to come.

Vehicle movement was halted heavily but the strike is almost going under silent support of public without any picketing of CPI-M as much expressing the resentment of public against JUMLA Govt of 10 months in Tripura doubling unemployment, no promise’s fulfilment.

The two-day strike on January 8 and 9 has been called by the central trade unions against the alleged repressive policies for workers adopted by the government. Farmers across the country under the aegis of the Left peasant wings would join the nationwide strike. Here is all you need to know:

* Tapan Sen, general secretary of CITU, said that the public sector employees, unorganised sector workers, port and dock workers, bank and insurance employees are going to observe the nationwide protest against growing economic crisis, price rise and acute unemployment on the call of central trade unions and mass organisations.

* The CITU denounced the unilateral move of the government of India to amend the Trade Union Act 1926 in the name of bringing about "so-called transparency" and avoiding "duplicacy" as noted in the press briefing by the union cabinet. Sen alleged that the proposed Trade Union (Amendment) Bill 2018 as cleared by the Cabinet is designed to impose conditions of slavery on the working people and totally abrogate trade union rights.

* CITU, critical of the Modi government's policy of 'Make in India', alleged that the government has been killing the work culture of the country's public sectors by favouring major contracts of manufacturing works to private players. "In Rafale deal, there was no transfer of technology. State owned HAL was kept away from the entire deal. This government will do similar practice when it will sign another two mega defence deals for F-16 fighter aircraft with Lockheed Martin Corporation of US and purchase of Naval frigates from Russia," said Sen.

* This is the 18th nationwide general strike against the alleged anti-worker policies. CITU said the main aim of their 12-point charter of demands is to revive the country's economy, save the rights of working class.

* Ten trade unions who have jointly called for the nationwide general strike are INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, AICCTU, UTUC, TUCC, LPF and SEWA. The trade unions have support of almost all major independent federations of central employees, state employees and the employees of banks, insurance, telecom, and other service sectors representing the workers and employees of all the industries and services including transport services, both in organised and unorganised sectors.

* Farmers will join road jam, demonstration, protest meetings throughout the country and register their disenchantment with the government and its policies.

* Banking services are likely to be affected on January 8-9 as a section of PSU bank employees would go on a two-day strike. The All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and Bank Employees Federation of India has informed the Indian Banks' Association (IBA) of the two-day nationwide strike on January 8-9, 2019, IDBI Bank said in a filing to the BSE.

* The National Federation of Atomic Energy Employees (NFAEE) and its affiliate unions have also threatened to go on a two-day strike. NFAEE, along with its affiliated unions, including Atomic Energy Workers' And Staff Union, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, NFC Industrial Workers Union, JAC Kalpakkam affiliated AITUC and CITU, has called a nationwide strike demanding scrapping of new pension scheme and restoring the old one.

The strike of CPI-M on yesterday was supported by regional parties and in press meet IPFT (Tipraha) also supported CPI-M’s strike against Modi Govt.