New Delhi, June 8
Despite the government’s disclaimers, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may eventually agree to a partial rollback of fuel prices but only after discussing the matter at the next meeting of the Left-UPA coordination committee, which is likely to be held in the third week of the month.

Although the Congress and the Left parties are pressing the government to reconsider its decision, the BJP’s agitation plans have queered the pitch for the Centre. The government does not want to take any decision at this juncture as it would not like the BJP to grab any political mileage from this move.

UPA insiders maintained that with the BJP resorting to nationwide demonstrations and roadblocks in protest against the fuel price hike, any government decision on a rollback would be projected as a victory for the Opposition. Not only would the BJP take credit for pressurising the government into giving in to its demand, but it would further spur it to intensify its agitation for a total rollback.

UPA sources said the government could live with the Left parties’ protests but it was not willing to allow the BJP to take any political advantage from the issue. It was precisely for this reason that the Congress was attempting to turn the tables on the BJP by giving details of the number of times the prices of fuel were hiked during the NDA regime.

It was stated that the government had taken a conscious decision to stand firm on the issue despite the fact that the Congress had also joined other political parties in seeking a partial rollback.

Congress leaders have since been hard pressed to explain that the government’s rejection of the party’s demand should not be seen as a confrontation between the two but merely as a strategic move.

“The government will wait for the Opposition’s agitation to peter out before taking an final view on the matter,” a senior Congress functionary said here today. At the same time, it was felt that it would be appropriate that the government first called a meeting of the UPA-Left coordination committee to discuss the quantum and the timing of a possible rollback.