A nationwide strike called by opposition political parties and trade organizations to protest fuel price increases and other economic policy changes had a quiet start Thursday in the capital, but there were reports of protest from other pockets of the country.
As of mid-morning, traffic was bustling in most parts of New Delhi. Three-wheeled autorickshaws were plying the streets, bus service seemed unaffected and the Metro was running. Most schools in New Delhi were also open, school officials said.
“Unless the government gives an order to shut down schools, why should we shut down schools?†said Ameeta Mulla Wattal, vice chairman of the National Progressive School Conference, a coalition of 130 schools. “Structure and routine is important to children.â€
The Bharat Bandh, or “India shutdown,†was called by the main opposition party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, and its allies. Other parties, like the Samajwadi Party, which governs the state of Uttar Pradesh, have also joined in.
Samajwadi Party workers blocked rail traffic at Allahabad station in the morning, while activists from BJP Yuva Morcha, the party's youth wing, stopped trains at Patna Junction, The Hindustan Times reported. But the governing party of West Bengal, the All India Trinamool Congress, whose leader Mamata Banerjee has threatened to pull out of the governing coalition on Friday, has not supported the strike, according to news reports.
The government last week introduced a slew of economic policy changes, including moves that would allow big-box retail stores like Walmart to open outlets in India, in an effort to revive the economy . The government also said it would raise the price of diesel by 14 percent â€" the first fuel price increase in more than a year â€" and capped the number of subsidized cooking-gas cylinders a household can own.
