Asserting that workers today rejected the strike call given by various trade unions, BJP today credited the government's "pro-workers" and liberal measures for their welfare and development.
"I am glad that workmen have rejected the strike call because of the pro-workers approach of the government and the liberal measures it has taken for their benefit.
"I congratulate the workmen of India for the positive attitude they demonstrated today," BJP leader and Union Minister for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines, Piyush Goyal said.
The Union minister said he collected feedback from across the country and the strike call made "little impact".
He claimed the workers have appreciated the steps, including a 42 per cent hike in the minimum wages, taken by the government in their interests.
Normal life in several parts of the country was affected today by the one-day nationwide strike by trade unions with public transport, banking and mining being among the most-hit, while protesting workers were detained in Haryana, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.
The central trade unions claimed the strike was successful as around 18 crore workers came on streets to support the agitation, despite only partial impact in some states like Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Industry body Assocham pegged the cost to the economy at Rs 16,000-18,000 crore from the one-day stir, call for which was given by 10 central unions to protest against what they called the government's "indifference" to workers demands for better wages and facilities and the "anti-worker" changes in labour laws.
While the agitation paralysed day to day work in states like Kerala, Odisha, Tripura, Assam and Telangana, the impact was quite visible in Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Haryana, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh.
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