Saturday, August 11, 2012

The Finance Minister has galvanised the Opposition to close ranks in a rare show of unity

The fuel price hike announced by the Finance Minister has galvanised the Opposition to close ranks in a rare show of unity. But will the sound and fury translate into long-term political gains? Pramod Kumar reports

From the government side, parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Bansal was in total command. He had personally called Mulayam and Lalu to request that if at all they plan to protest against the move by the government, they should do so in a way that would not unduly embarrass the government. However, Lalu, for own sweet reasons, not only came out openly to support the allegations levelled by Swaraj but also made it amply clear that his party would support the Opposition in the mass movement against price rise.

As far as the BJP is concerned, the plan was carefully laid out during the Indore conclave. It was planned that the struggle would be taken to the streets. It was felt that the party rank and file are a demoralised lot at the current juncture and the anti-price rise agitation would galvanise them. It is not for nothing that the party has launched mass protests in every provincial capital city. The party plans to move the campaign to the rural areas and has also decided to show its strength in a mass rally in Delhi on April 21. However, while talking to B&E, BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad did not admit that the party was linking price rise to the awareness campaign. He also insisted that BJP was a national party and its cadre were spread across the entire country.

Lalu, Mulayam and Mamata want to remain associated with the regime while making their stance clear. This will also revitalise their parties, which, particularly in the case of RJD and SP, is the need of the hour. Mulayam, in a hurriedly called meeting of SP MPs, asked his flock to return to the state and initiate street protests. This was a clear departure from the pre-Budget days when Mulayam was hardly active and the day to day affairs were in the hands of Ram Gopal Yadav and Mohan Singh.

Lalu, on the other hand, has also joined hands with the Opposition. In a reply to B&E, he said he is aware he cannot muster much in terms of numbers in Parliament, but he certainly can mobilise effective street protests.

The Left is once again on the same side as the BJP. They insist that they were the first to ring the warning bell. Talking to B&E, CPM leader Sitaram Yechury said, “If we had not checked the government during UPA-1, inflation would have touched double digits. This Budget will strangle the common man. Every party is convinced of this apart from the ruling Congress party, which still insists that the policies are good for the nation.” Commerce minister Anand Sharma said such decisions were necessary in the interest of the country as the price hike will lead to funds that will keep pro-people projects running. Such decisions become necessary at times, he added.

Sources claim that in the Congress Core Committee meeting on Tuesday night, the party was unanimous in concluding that the Opposition was opposing the UPA for the sake of it and it will not affect the fate of the government. However, it was felt that the parliamentary affairs minister would need to coordinate more actively with the alliance partners.

It was also decided that even though international crude price is low, the government needs extra money. Pranab Mukherjee will try to convince party MPs regarding the move, failing which Sonia Gandhi will step in and intervene.


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