India's Protests are Cherished and Maligned

Protesting by political parties, called bandhs, have been a long admired democratic right in India. Bandhs are characterized by their "shutdown strikes" in which cities and even the country are shutdown. However, the increasing number of political parties and bandhs are being questioned by citizens for their effectiveness as well as causing more harm, such as economic loss. Bandhs are being criticized for showing a political party's power rather than representing the needs of Indian citizens.

This article not only shows the power of bandhs at being able to shut down the Indian Parliament and cities but also the complicated issues of having many political parties participating in the world's largest democracy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/world/asia/15strike.html?emc=eta1

The first article mentions the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and their recent nationwide bandh against the government increasing fuel prices.

The following article was published this morning about the BJP winning the Kathlal Assembly seat by 20,000 votes.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/BJP-breaks-into-Cong-bastion-wins-Kathlal-by-election-by-over-21000-votes/articleshow/6571252.cms