Accusing the state government and Centre of being hand in glove in scuttling workers' rights, Leader of the Opposition Surya Kanta Mishra today said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's "provocative speech" at today's students rally was a sign of dictatorship.
"The state and the Centre are on the same page when it comes to scuttling of rights of trade unions and workers. They want to throttle democratic voices. The chief minister will see the power of the common man and workers during the general strike called on September 2," Mishra told reporters here.
Mishra's comment comes in the backdrop of Banerjee cautioning Left trade unions who have called a general strike on September 2, saying the people of Bengal do not support shutdowns.
He also said Banerjee's comment that it would take a minute for TMC to teach the Left a lesson was a sign of dictatorship.
"She has said today that it will take just one minute to teach us a lesson. This provocative speech only reflects the authoritarian and dictatorship mindset of our chief minister.
"The anarchy unleashed by TMC has breached the limit of tolerance of the common man. The people will give a befitting reply to them," Mishra said.
Banerjee while condemning the Left Front for yesterday's pitched battle with the police over their march to state secretariat 'Nabanna', told the rally of students' wing of Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) that it would take just a minute to teach the Left a lesson but her party did not believe in violence.
"She is condemning us for violence. Let me ask her what was it she used to do when her party was in the opposition ? We all know how TMC had ransacked the assembly in December 2006, how the national highway was blocked for several days after they decided to organise a sit in demonstration in Singur," Mishra said.
