Thursday, May 31, 2012

Slight response to Bharat Bandh

Bharat bandh called by the main opposition party BJP and the Left to protest fuel price hike has evoked slight response in national capital New Delhi and mixed response in the rest of the nation. People nowhere have given spontaneous support to bandh, though they are furious with Congress-led UPA government at the Centre. They consider this as the first directionless and spineless government of Independent India. Its economic mismanagement has resulted in soaring prices of all essential commodities. But the opposition parties so far have failed to exploit the worsening condition of the government in their favour. They are also not favourites of the people. In Delhi, barring roadblocks at few intersections, all activities in the city have remained normal. Barring small shops, big business establishments, government and private offices, hospitals, banks and traffic have run smoothly as they do on normal days. Really, the entire nation is in anger with Dr. Manmohan Singh UPA-II government due to unprecedented hike in prices of petrol and its total failure to check runaway prices of all essential commodities and corruption at all levels in every department. But it does not mean that the aggrieved common people see the opposition parties with hope and as an alternative to the UPA government at the Centre. BJP, Left and the regional parties should have first co-ordinated among themselves to jam the functioning of the government and all other organizations on the day of Bharat Bandh itself. If BJP-led NDA and Left leaders had toured all over the nation a month before the day of Bharat Bandh to galvanise and mobilize the mass people’s support for the day, it would be a complete bandh and would force the government to either do something against the runaway prices of all essential and edible commodities or make way for them under people’s pressure. Today’s bandh has not evoked a response that could compel the government to act immediately. Barring few BJP ruled states; the bandh has evoked a slight response. Petrol and other petroleum products are imported items and its prices are determined by the market. The government has already de-regulated the petrol price in 2010. Now, Oil Companies decides the price of petrol according to its up and down in international market but it will be wrong to say that they need not take consent from the government. Without the consent of the government, Oil companies can not make announcement of hike in petrol prices. The people of the nation at last realize that petroleum products are imported items and the price in international market is going up and up. But as far the food inflation and souring prices of all essential commodities are concerned, the common people are extremely angry with the UPA Government-II and the benefit govt.’s failure has not been reaped by the opposition.

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