Closed chapter: Bandhs are no longer a useful protest technique

In organising a Bharat Bandh on Monday the opposition parties have shown that they are way behind the times as far as the techniques of modern politics are concerned. The bandh rarely enjoyed much traction among the electorate even during the notoriously inefficient, inward-looking licence raj, when a day’s stoppage of work had little impact on already abysmal productivity levels. In the post-reform era, the strengthening global market linkages of the Indian economy mean that a day's work stoppage is something India can ill afford. Reports from around the country present a picture of gratuitous violence and pointless disruptions: Rail