Political hypocrisy got top billing in the Opposition-sponsored nationwide bandh called against the government?s decision to hike fuel prices. It was, after all, the BJP that initiated the process of oil price decontrol during its tenure in government. The UPA has only carried that policy to its logical conclusion. The Left parties may not be hypocritical about decontrol but what about allying with the ?untouchable? BJP in coordinating this bandh? The Left had, after all, prevented UPA-1 from reaching out to the opposition BJP on a whole range of issues between 2004 and 2009. So, it seems obvious enough that the bandh was motivated more by political opportunism than political principle. The larger question that must be answered by all the political parties that supported the bandh is about the choice of their method to protest against the government?s decision. The nationwide bandh disrupted normal life in many states, particularly those ruled by the NDA and the Left, causing severe inconvenience to the aam aadmi, ostensibly the subject of the Opposition?s empathy. Amongst other things, the bandh shut down truck traffic and manufacturing facilities, precisely the sort of disruptions that would lead to a spike in the prices of essential commodities, including food, and harm the aam aadmi.
More broadly, the bandh is also a reflection of the Opposition?s complete detachment from policy and indeed political reality. It had become simply unsustainable for the government to continue to subsidise the consumption of petroleum products because of pressure on the fiscal deficit. A runaway fiscal deficit would only put more upward pressure on inflation, with a greater long-term impact than the temporary spike in the aftermath of decontrol. In any case, the major consumers of petroleum products, except kerosene, which has in any case seen only a very moderate rise in prices, are the middle class and not the poor aam aadmi. There is no economic logic and perhaps limited political logic in giving non-merit subsidies to the middle class. That money would clearly be better spent in targeting subsidies at the poorest. The Opposition should know only too well that the government has limited resources and must make choices. In the case of oil subsidies the choice is fairly clear to all. The combined Opposition has not done good governance any favours by calling and enforcing this bandh. It is no more than an opportunist political gimmick.