We know that there was a massive nationwide strike in India on September 2. But it’s difficult to say just how massive it was. Jubilant trade union leaders asserted that the turnout was unprecedented, and that roughly 150 million people, or over 10 percent of the Indian population, had participated in the strike.

The central government scoffed at the figure, and said that life had proceeded more or less normally on the day of the work stoppage. Industry leaders seemed torn between downplaying the strike and blaming workers for the loss of business; one industry lobbying group claimed that the strike cost the country 250 million rupees (about 4 million USD).

Whatever the exact numbers, the walkout clearly had an impact, though it affected different regions and sectors unevenly. Cities and states with stronger traditions of left politics enforced the strike much more effectively; Kolkata, long a center of radical organizing, was effectively shut down. Public-sector unions responded to the strike call with particular energy, as workers from government-owned banks, transport services, defense companies, and coal companies took to the streets in support of the nationwide action.