When Vladimir Lenin did not stand a chance, it was a matter of time before May Day found itself in distress in Tripura, the communist citadel captured by the BJP.

The BJP-led government in Tripura has removed the International Labour Day that falls on May 1 from the list of regular holidays, 40 years after it was included by the late Nripen Chakraborty in 1978 when the communist leader was chief minister.

Displacement from the regular list means May Day has been shifted to a “restricted” group of 12 days, out of which state government employees can choose four days as holidays. Till now, May Day was a public holiday in Tripura.

May Day is associated with the Haymarket Affair of Chicago on May 4, 1886, when a rally of workers was bombed. No single event is said to have influenced the labour rights movement more than the Haymarket episode.

On Saturday, a notification issued by undersecretary S.K. Debbarma mentioned May Day would be considered a restricted holiday from 2019.

The Left, whose outrage at the toppling of a Lenin statue soon after the BJP emerged as the winner in the Assembly elections is yet to subside, expressed dismay at the order.

CPM leader and former labour minister Manik Dey described the decision as “anti-working class”.

“International Labour Day is observed around the world to mark liberation of the working class. This decision by the state government is totally anti-working class. The current BJP-IPFT government’s decision implies their disrespect to accomplishments of the working class,” Dey said.

The Opposition CPM has demanded that the state government reinstate May Day in the list of holidays.

Tripura Congress vice-president Tapas Dey said the state government’s decision went against the interests of the working class people.

Opinion is divided on whether the best way to commemorate the labour movement is by shutting down places of work. But trade union leaders have said the holiday is used to hold rallies to motivate workers, instill unity and make them aware of the significance of the right to organise.

The central government does not declare a public holiday on May 1. State governments are free to draw up their own list of holidays.

Perhaps it will be of some consolation to the Left that Mamata Banerjee, who ousted the CPM in Bengal, has been merciful enough to leave the May Day holiday undisturbed. It may have something to do with the exalted position holidays enjoy in Bengal. However, May Day remains a state government holiday in BJP-ruled Karnataka.

Additional reporting by K.M. Rakesh in Bangalore