Calcutta, April 22: The “nation-wide” Left strike on Tuesday will be confined to 12 hours and will not run for 24 hours as thought before.

The gesture reflects the CPM’s eagerness to limit adverse public opinion ahead of the civic polls in Bengal and Kerala, although the benevolence is unlikely to reduce the scale of hardship and disruption usually associated with bandhs called by major parties.

The truncated protest —the CPM had not officially said earlier that the strike would last 24 hours, but its leaders did give such an impression — also betrays the diverse priorities of the party and its labour arm, Citu.

The Left is keen to ensure that voters are not alienated in Bengal and Kerala — where, besides Tripura, the strike is expected to have the maximum impact — while Citu is eager to flex its muscles to tighten its grip on the labour force, being courted aggressively by the Trinamul Congress.

The CPM will request the authorities to provide transport to stranded passengers of long-distance trains scheduled to arrive at Howrah and Sealdah after the 12-hour anti-Centre strike.

Citu said that though “politically” it would be a 12-hour strike, for all “practical purposes”, its effect on industry and the transport sector would be similar to that of a 24-hour bandh.

Four Left parties, along with their non-Congress, non-BJP allies, have called the strike to protest the soaring food prices, budgetary hike in the prices of petro-products and the withdrawal of fertiliser subsidies.

At a recent meeting of the Left Front, its chairman Biman Bose had asked the CPM’s allies to describe the strike as a “hartal” and not as a “bandh” keeping in mind the Supreme Court’s criticism of ruling parties for paralysing public life by calling bandhs.

“It will be a 12-hour strike, both at the state and the national level. If some people want to extend the strike for another 12 hours in the industry sector, it is up to them. But we have asked that the strike be restricted to 12 hours for the transport sector in view of the inconvenience to the public,’’ CPM leader Benoy Konar said after the party’s weekly state secretariat meeting today.

“We have asked the authorities to make efforts to provide transport to passengers of long-distance trains, which are scheduled to reach Howrah and Sealdah after the 12-hour strike ends,’’ Konar added.

State Citu leaders, however, chose a harder line. “Politically, it is being said that the strike is limited to 12 hours. But it will be a 24-hour strike for all practical purposes, both for industry and the transport sector,’’ Citu state secretary Kali Ghosh said.

“Factory workers, as well as bus, mini-bus and taxi drivers, won’t report for duty in the morning. Let us see if they turn up after 6pm,’’ a sarcastic Ghosh said.

Ghosh had yesterday said the strike “would be for 24 hours for both the transport and industry sectors. The decision about the rest, like markets and shops, will be announced by Bimanbabu later.”