Representatives of various trade unions staged a protest rally here on Saturday to garner support for a nationwide general strike against the BJP-led government at the Centre on January 8 and 9.

Around 300 members from the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (Citu), Indian National Trade Union Congress (Intuc), United Trade Union Congress (UTUC) and 17 other organisations gathered at Gauhati Club at 4pm and marched towards Ambari, Cotton University, Panbazar and Paltan Bazar, covering a distance of 5km.

Intuc general secretary Sumer Sing Gaur said, “All affiliated unions have called a two-day nationwide general strike from Tuesday in protest against the pro-corporate, anti-national and anti-people policies of the BJP-led NDA government. The government is going to destroy all public institutions of the country. It wants to hand over the institutions to private parties.”

Hariprasad Saikia, Intuc secretary, said, “Employees of public institutions such as banks and the railways will join us to make the protest a success. We will sit in protest at Khanapara, Maligaon, Noonmati, Narengi and other places.”

The joint forum of motor transport workers’ organisations of Assam also called a 48-hour wheel jam on January 8 and 9 in the state.

All India Road Transport Workers Federation state general secretary Biren Sarma said, “A shortage of petrol, diesel and LPG is likely to arise. Train and flight services will also be affected as fuel will not be supplied by the transporters who have joined us. We appeal to the people to bear with us as the strike is in everybody’s interest.”

Sarma, however, said Karbi Anglong district has been exempted because of town committee elections there on January 12.

“The forum has called the strike to protest the Road Transport & Safety Bill, 2014, which has the capacity to ring a death knell on the transport sector by affecting individual vehicle owners and workers. It was put on hold after protests by transport workers and owners but was reintroduced in Parliament as the Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill, 2017. It is an attempt to hand over the sector to big corporates,” Assam Petroleum Mazdoor Union general secretary Ramen Das alleged.

Stocks of petrol and diesel in the fuel stations of the city usually last 24 hours.