Kolkata: After enforcing a dawn-to-dusk Bangla bandh today (Dec 3, 2004) in defiance of a Calcutta High Court order a belligerent Trinamool Congress (TC) chief Mamata Banerjee said that bandh was a constitutional right and urged all political parties to join hands to protect their Rights.

"Strike or bandh is our Fundamental Right. We have only exercised our Right," Banerjee told reporters referring to the day's bandh called by her party though a court directive had declared it unconstitutional and ordered it be called off.

When asked if she was ready to accept punishment for defying the court order, the TC chief responded, "I have not committed any wrong, where does the question of punishment come. The bandh was for a right cause."

Refusing to comment on the court's order, she stressed, "I did not even come out on the street to enforce the bandh."

She went on to add that there was a Supreme Court ruling that a bandh was illegal if enforced.

"Today's bandh was spontaneous," she claimed.

The firebrand TC leader called upon all political parties to join hands to protect the right to strikes and bandhs.

"It is time for all political parties to come forward to protect that democratic right," Banerjee said, adding that denial of such a right would require amendment of the Constitution by a two-thirds majority in Parliament.

Hearing a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) the Calcutta High Court on November 30 had declared TC's bandh illegal and unconstitutional and directed the party to call it off and the State Government to make necessary arrangements to maintain normal life.