Festivals and a looming election combined to make it a season of bonanza for voters as the Union Cabinet unveiled a swathe of measures designed to please all.

Among these was the decision to pay a productivity-linked bonus equivalent to 70 days' wages to eligible non-gazetted Indian Railways employees for 2006-07. The Railways will have to shell out Rs 660 crore, but will earn the goodwill of 1.33 million group C and D employees.

Crucially, not only did the United Progressive Alliance government announce that it would not raise petroleum product prices, but also decided to extend subsidy schemes for petroleum products till 2010.

This move ensures that politically-sensitive items like kerosene (for the public distribution system) and domestic cooking gas will continue to be subsidised by the government.

"We have kept our promise of not burdening the common man with a fuel price increase," Petroleum Minister Murli Deora said.

Soon after coming to power, the UPA had discontinued the practice, introduced by the previous government, of allowing weekly changes in petrol and diesel prices in tune with the market. This marked the return of an administered pricing policy for petrol and diesel.

On Thursday, the Cabinet also decided to grant public sector oil companies Rs 23,458 crore in bonds to insulate them -- and voters -- from oil price hikes.

What the government has done is take on the burden itself, which it will have to pay for later.

Further, the government also decided to dip into its kitty and provide budgetary support amounting to Rs 63.20 crore to a dozen public sector firms.

The money will be used to liquidate outstanding statutory dues, pay salary and wages up to June 30 this year.

It is the timing of these decisions that makes them political, rather than just economic measures.