Congress leader Kapil Sibal said agitation against the Modi government is "bound to happen".In Mumbai, Maharashtra Minister Ashok Chavan said the Congress party has decided to back the stir as the BJP-led Modi government is pursuing 'anti labour and anti people' policies including selling out Navratna companies.
Employees are on strike at the call of at least ten central trade unions to protest the government's "anti-people" policies.
The chief reason of trade unions' grievance is also about the Industrial Relations Code Bill.
The government has said that the new draft law is part of wider efforts to streamline and simplify the plethora of existing and overlapping labour laws by creating four labour codes ? on wages, industrial relations, social security and occupational safety and working conditions.
In banks, eyewitness accounts say cash withdrawal and deposits in public sector banks have been affected in many places across the country.
The bank employees are on agitation at the call of All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), All India Bank Officers' Association (AIBOA) and Bank Employees Federation of India among others.
The trade unions are opposing government policies on bank merger, privatisation, fee hike and other wage-related issues.
Trade unions affiliated with various parties INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, LPF, UTUC along with various sectoral independent federations and associations had adopted a declaration last year to go on the nationwide strike on Wednesday, January 8.There have been reports of violent protest from places such as Patna and Chennai.
In West Bengal, trade unions affiliated to Left and other parties called for the bandh. However, state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the state administration have said they are against the Bandh.
