Chennai, Dec 3 (PTI): Members of the All India Bank Employees" Association called (AIBEA) on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday and sought his support for the two-day national strike call given by the unions. The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) announced the strike from December 16 to protest against the Centre"s plan to private public sector banks. The association has lined up series of other agitational programmes if the government does not give up the idea of privatisation. AIBEA general secretary C H Venkatachalam, along with Communist Party of India (CPI) state secretary R Mutharasan, called on Stalin and sought his government"s support to the strike. Stating that the public sector banks play a leading role in a country"s economic development, Venkatachalam said because private banks were not helping the Centre, major private banks were nationalised in 1969. "After that, banks grew in a big way. Instead of strengthening them further, the Union government is trying to privatise them, " he said in a statement. The government has decided to bring a Bill in the current session of Parliament to privatise the banks, he said. Extending their gratitude to the ruling DMK for opposing Centre"s decision on privatisation, the AIBEA requested the Chief Minister to address a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this connection. "We appeal to suitably take up the matter with the Union government to stop the move on privatisation," he said. Venkatachalam requested the Chief Minister to advise his party MPs to accordingly take up the issue in the ongoing session in Parliament. To oppose what they called as unwarranted and retrograde move by the Centre, the unions under the banner of the UFBU have given the call for strike on December 16 and 17, Venkatachalam said. During the meeting with Stalin, Venkatachalam said, "We submitted a memorandum to him seeking his support. He heard our submissions patiently and assured the support. We thank the Chief Minister." PTI VIJ NVG NVG