Petrol price hike: Bold and bland, Reddy calls a spade a spade

“We cannot run the country on popular sentiments. Somewhere we need to have a balance.” This was Petroleum Minister S Jaipal Reddy speaking to the media on the petrol price hike.

This should count as one of the bravest statements from a politician in the country. And Reddy deserves to be congratulated for that. Our politicians rarely talk tough. Their spunk and valiance come through only when they are attacking political opponents and imaginary enemies. When it comes to taking a stand on backing an unpopular yet genuine cause, they generally cower and indulge in diplomatic talk.

“Who wants to advocate unpopular causes even if they are worthy causes?” Reddy said, talking about the political reaction to the price hike. He made no commitment on a partial rollback too. It is possible he had to take the strong position since there’s no other go given the state of the oil companies but let’s give it to him. He has shown some spunk.[caption id=“attachment_321657” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Bold and frank. Image courtesy PIB”]  [/caption]

More from Politics

Is Shashi Tharoor’s breakup with Congress inevitable? ‘Naxalism will end in India by March 2026’: Amit Shah at CRPF Raising Day parade

Let’s tell the truth. Our politicians have turned cowardly. They would prefer to flow with the public mood even if it is damaging to the interest of the country rather than stand up and say ’the country comes first’. We have noticed this time and again – during the FDI debate, on the Lokpal issue and during the discussion of several other bills. Mamata Banerjee won’t allow even a small hike in railway fares.

The aam aadmi, a mysterious entity who the politicians believe loves to survive on freebies and prosper at the cost of the country, has become the excuse to stall all kinds of economic reforms. The political class is not foolish to recognise that what it is doing is self-serving and ultimately detrimental to the interest of the country but it would never open up. If only someone found the aam aadmi and asked him whether he is really against making small sacrifices for the country!

The trend is dangerous to say the least. It would stop governments from taking hard decisions. This, in turn, will lead to a cascade of problems. If the UPA II has switched to the play safe mode, a major part of the blame lies with the trend of competitive populism. It won’t take a risk since it will immediately come under attack from all quarters, including allies. However, this is not to suggest that the UPA II has been competent otherwise, the point is to highlight the defensiveness in our political culture.

Blame it on the regionalisation of Indian politics. The emergence of too many regional satraps means the dominance of local political concerns over national matters. As vote banks get localised and there’s intense competition to win over these, the bigger issues take a backseat. If someone like Mamata Banerjee has no patience for reforms of any kind, the problem arises from her vote catchment areas. But national parties are no better too. They play opportunistic games whenever it suits them.

The end result of all this is political cowardliness and an atmosphere of negativity. Reddy was too bold for an UPA minister. He might face the music for that. But for now, let’s be happy that a minister has shown the courage to call a spade a spade.