India's political parties should cultivate enough maturity not to exploit every emerging issue as a political issue to pander to their political constituencies or expand their political base. They should regard themselves as parties in waiting which could very well be running the governments when the wheel of political fortune turns in their favour.

This general observation applies with all the greater force to the management of fuel prices. It is a paramount national issue requiring all political parties to join hands in finding a collective solution, instead of resorting to their customary unseemly tactics of indulging in political mud-slinging. They will be causing immense harm to the national interest if they continue politicking for narrow partisan ends on such an issue of overwhelmingly grave importance.

But that is what all political parties are doing, including those who are members or supporters, of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government.

They have been unable to resist the conditioned reflex of instigating people to take to the streets and demonising the Government as anti-people, out to make lives miserable for them.

The intractable crisis of energy management, vulnerable to the ravages of a highly volatile causative factor of hydrocarbons at the core, is not the creation of just the present Government. It has been in the making during all previous Governments of different political complexions. In a sense, its dimensions and implications were known to all political parties that have been constituents of past governments.

Offer of co-operation

It was, therefore, incumbent on them to come up with a constructive offer of cooperation in dealing with the problem, by proposing a viable plan of action of their own, which could then be discussed with a view to arriving at a consensus. To do nothing of the sort, but only to indulge in destructive criticism in a sanctimonious “holier-than-thou” attitude speaks ill of the political culture prevailing in the country.

Even now, it is not late. The protesting political parties have access to enough talented professionals, on whose experience, analytical capabilities and insights they can draw to prepare a workable fuel prices management strategy and forward it for consideration by the Government. The Government too owes it to all the stake-holders — political parties, economic players and the civil society — to involve them in decision-making on such vital matters, instead of acting unilaterally.

It is clear, indeed, it has been clear for as far back as one could go, that there has to be a holistic approach based on precise, long-term calculations to the management of fuel prices, and that it will not do to merely jack them up now and again in an ad hoc manner in order to keep the wolf from the door or in line with the adage “Sufficient unto the day the evil thereof”.

Conjuring up formulas for “equitable” sharing of the burden among the Central and State Governments, oil companies and consumer interests or tinkering with Customs and excise duties are also nothing more than exercises in futility, considering the Garganutuan character of the crisis.

Just note the fundamental facts: India consumed over 138 million tonnes of fuel in 2009-10, as against the nation's domestic oil production of about 34 million tonnes that year. It imports three-fourth of its oil needs and one-third of its gas requirement.

Demand and supply

The demand in the next 10 years will increase by over 40 per cent, whereas the increase in supply from the maturing domestic oilfields is expected to be around 12 per cent. To make matters worse, oil and gas today are not seen as mere commodities to be traded freely but are tending to become political weapons in the hands of some countries.

To work one's way through this maze is a challenge fit enough for the best minds of the country. But it has to be met if all the hopes centering round its emergence as an economic power are not to end up in smoke.

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