Civil servants were cowed by government edict into turning up for work, but most of India's labor force stayed away, as opposition parties held a daylong general strike last week to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Almost all factories and shops were closed, and travel was brought to a near halt across the country. The arrests of tens of thousands limited violence, but twelve people died as rival political groups clashed with one another and the police. The strike was intended to show just how disenchanted Indians are with a leader once dubbed "Mr. Clean." Gloated V.P. Singh, Gandhi's main challenger: "We have come out winners."

The Bharat Bandh (Close India) strike was the opposition's second major action this summer against the Prime Minister. In July 104 members of Parliament resigned to protest an a-lleged $50 million government kickback scheme in a $1.3 billion purchase of Swedish arms for the Indian army. Gandhi is not likely to step down before the general elections expected in December. But most observers see the mudslinging as the start of a dirty and bitter campaign.