India lorry driver's mass strike could force out government

As many as five million Indian lorry drivers went on strike today to protest against a surge in fuel prices, dealing what may prove a fatal blow to the country's beleaguered Government.

Congress, the biggest party in the governing coalition, already faces the prospect of snap elections after it signalled its intention to pursue a controversial nuclear power deal with the United States. Congress's leftist coalition partners have pledged to withdraw their support should Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister, forge ahead with the agreement, a move that could take the world's largest democracy to the polls.