Kolkata: Retreating that her government was opposed to the "politics of shutdowns", West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said such "disruptive movements" have adversely affected overall development of the state.
Mamata said spontaneous protests could follow certain developments, but as a policy her government would not allow strikes and shutdowns over "minor issues".
Mamata, who was a feisty opposition leader for decades before her Trinamool Congress won the assembly polls last year, admitted that it was a mistake to call shutdowns.
"We had called shutdowns in the past. But we now realise it was a mistake," she said while replying to the debate on the governor's address in the state assembly.
Mamata claimed that under the new government, the state was "moving forward in all areas".
In this case, she referred to the peace prevailing in north Bengal's Darjeeling hills and the Junglemahal (forested stretches of three districts West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia where the Maoists have a base).
"My government has started lot of development programmes both in Darjeeling and the Junglemahal," she said.
The chief minister accused some "vested interests" and a section of the media of attempts to malign her government.
Soon after coming to power, Mamata spoke out against shutdowns and strikes, and her government went all out in its attempt to foil the general strike called by 11 central trade unions.
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