That ideologically polar opposites, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Left parties, chose to organise a nationwide bandh on the same day for the same cause speaks to the importance of the issue at stake: not just a hike in fuel prices but ushering in, without any public discussion, of a decontrolled price regime first for petrol, and later for diesel. Although they took to different platforms, constituents of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and the Left parties ensured maximum impact in the States where they have a strong presence. Several partners of the United Progressive Alliance government are unhappy with the hike and indeed the bandh call held resonance for political parties across the ideological spectrum. While some of the parties not affiliated to the UPA, the NDA, and the Left — notably the Bahujan Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh and the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Lok Janshakti Party in Bihar — did not participate in the general strike, they too have expressed opposition to the price hike. Indeed, the RJD and the LJP are planning a protest in Bihar on July 10. States ruled by the NDA and the Left parties — Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, and Kerala — witnessed near-total participation in the strike. The bandh call also evoked a significant response in several other States, including Congress-ruled Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi. Even where the State governments were pre-disposed toward busting the strike, air, rail and road traffic were affected, and many shops and establishments closed.
By embarking on decontrolling fuel prices at a time of high inflation and rising prices, the UPA government showed it cared little for popular sensibilities. With Assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Assam almost a year away, the Congress leadership seems to have cynically calculated that if there was such a thing as the right time for an unpopular measure, it was now. Decontrol of the price regime would not only benefit private oil companies, but also pave the way for the entry of multinational companies in retail of petroleum products. By linking the prices of petrol and diesel to international crude prices, the government is, in effect, surrendering the responsibility for protecting consumer interests. But there is no political insulation from rising prices. Although the bandh did cause inconvenience to the public by disrupting normal life in several States, it would have served its purpose if it forced the government to rethink deregulation in this case. If the government is serious about intervening in case of volatility in international crude prices, as stated by Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Murli Deora, why should it not cease and desist from decontrolling the price regime in the first place?
