Nobody gains from strikes

Admitting that the all-India strike called by them, against the government's inability to curtail acute price rise, was a total success, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other opposition parties brought India to a grinding halt.

Conversely, they also admitted that this was not the most appropriate form of protest. Yesterday's demonstration cost the exchequer millions of rupees, but one doubts whether the government paid heed to the opposition's actions.

The issue of rising prices and inflation cannot be solved quickly. Inflation is a phenomenon which rides on a country's growth rate, and in India's case it is no different.

Added to that is the fact that strikes in India have become commonplace and the people have embraced them as a way of life. Political parties use them as a way to prop up their protests, while for the common man it is an excuse not to go to work.

The relevant question therefore is: who wins?