Bengal's ruling establishment has marshalled political, administrative and legal resources to foil a bandh called by the BJP in the state on Wednesday.

The defeat of the shutdown has become a prestige fight for the Trinamul Congress after chief minister Mamata Banerjee vowed from abroad that the government wouldn't let it succeed.

The BJP called for the bandh on September 26 mainly in protest against death of two youths in an alleged police firing at Daribhit in North Dinajpur. The bandh call was also triggered by deaths of Sang Parivar activists - under mysterious circumstances - in Purulia after declaration of panchayat election results.

On Monday, Trinamul secretary-general and senior minister Partha Chatterjee said no stone was being left unturned to prevent disruption of normal life.

'(Bandh is) only a drama to unleash lawlessness and disrupt normal life,' Chatterjee said following a meeting of a group of ministers set up by Mamata to run the government in her absence.

On Sunday, Chatterjee had chaired a meeting of Trinamul leaders and said the party should do all it could, politically, to combat the bandh.

The Trinamul secretary-general said Mamata was constantly monitoring the developments from Milan and Nabanna was prioritising the maintenance of law and order. He accused the BJP-RSS parivar of resorting to disruptive politics out of alleged frustration. He said the government would ask all private establishments and institutions to function normally.

Sources in the Trinamul said Wednesday had become a crucial test for the party leadership in the absence of the chief minister, who is now in Milan, Italy.

'Our supreme leader has said no bandh will take place in Bengal. Those made responsible for running the show in her absence are under pressure to deliver,' said a Trinamul source.

Another Trinamul source said: 'Chances of the saffron camp resorting to hooliganism in some pockets cannot be ruled out. From our side, we will do everything to make sure that the shutdown is a flop show.'

Transport minister Suvendu Adhikari said all buses would be covered by insurance of up to Rs 6 lakh in case of damage from arson. The transport department has decided to operate 2,600 state buses - instead of the usual fleet of 2,150 - across Bengal from 5am on Wednesday.

Each district would have a transport control room.