Strike shuts down Indian states
A strike called by India's biggest trade unions to protest against rising prices and lack of jobs has shut down two states ruled by the communists. Schools and offices have remained closed and transport has been disrupted in the eastern state of West Bengal and in the southern state of Kerala. In the capital Delhi, thousands of people attended a large rally to mark the protest. However the strike has had little impact in the rest of the country. RA Mittal, secretary of Hind Majdoor Sabha trade union said the government had been "callous" in addressing the concerns of labourers in the informal sector and farming.
See "Strike shuts down Indian states", BBC News, BBC News Online, December 13, 2006