Why Gadkari is on the road, Puri in blended oil
Nitin Gadkari is back monitoring highways and Hardeep Singh Puri is defending the ethanol policy. What's behind the reshuffle that's confusing people?
Nitin Gadkari is back in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Hardeep Singh Puri in his Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. The silent swap has left people, so used to watching Gadkari bat for ethanol-blended petrol, confused. Puri speaking for E20 is pure Persian for them.
That's the second round of confusion. Earlier, people were left perplexed as to why Gadkari, celebrated as Roadkari for building highways at record speed, had to don the stained dungaree of an ethanol evangelist and defend a rushed policy. Why not just allow roads into disrepair and pothole your way into scoring a self-goal?
Advancing India's E20 deadline as part of the Ethanol Blended Petrol Programme from 2030 to 2025 was obviously a Cabinet decision. The Cabinet sails or sinks together. But Gadkari somehow ended up being the first to stick his neck out of the floating layer of oil from the slick decision.
While some allege conflict of interest, others blame it on blender's pride. While Gadkari is said to be among a growing number of people who believe it was a political conspiracy against him.
Facts needed some distillation here, and distilleries linked to Gadkari's family, running full time, weren't of any use. Eyes failed to note the truth, which, like the E20 petrol in bottles with phase-separation, was also layered.
Gadkari was running the oil ministry while the road ministry, exposed by the monsoon showers, was felt abandoned. His much-touted space technology to monitor roads was ripped apart by viral videos of potholes and craters on signature highways and expressways. However, those must have delivered the life-saving jolt to attention.
That's not just a Gadkari problem. Long-distance driving on roads better than those in the US does get drivers to doze off. Gadkari was shaken back to reality. He realised he was at the wheel of a petrol tanker with Puri enjoying back-seat driving. Highly inflammable!
People had suddenly realised there was a problem in their motor oil and vehicle engines and needed a blame guy. Someone had been lame enough to be the blame-magnet. The career politician realised how he had become the face of bad press while a career diplomat stayed away.
Gadkari stood on the brakes of the tanker and jumped out. He immediately began inspecting the highway. Puri had no option but to drive on, slowly.
Since the last couple of days, Gadkari has been on the road, trying to disappear from the tanker's rear-view mirror.
Puri is trying to learn to defend the rushed E20 policy. At times his struggles are evident. The petroleum minister doesn't know the rate of Brent Crude. That's as crude as the finance minister not knowing the rupee-to-dollar value. But at least Puri is back in the ministry.
So, till the anticipated reshuffle happens, Gadkari is back on the road and Puri in blended oil, which is piping hot right now. Which is how it should have been in the first place. All's blended oil, if it ends well.
Nitin Gadkari is back in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Hardeep Singh Puri in his Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. The silent swap has left people, so used to watching Gadkari bat for ethanol-blended petrol, confused. Puri speaking for E20 is pure Persian for them.
That's the second round of confusion. Earlier, people were left perplexed as to why Gadkari, celebrated as Roadkari for building highways at record speed, had to don the stained dungaree of an ethanol evangelist and defend a rushed policy. Why not just allow roads into disrepair and pothole your way into scoring a self-goal?
Advancing India's E20 deadline as part of the Ethanol Blended Petrol Programme from 2030 to 2025 was obviously a Cabinet decision. The Cabinet sails or sinks together. But Gadkari somehow ended up being the first to stick his neck out of the floating layer of oil from the slick decision.
While some allege conflict of interest, others blame it on blender's pride. While Gadkari is said to be among a growing number of people who believe it was a political conspiracy against him.
Facts needed some distillation here, and distilleries linked to Gadkari's family, running full time, weren't of any use. Eyes failed to note the truth, which, like the E20 petrol in bottles with phase-separation, was also layered.
Gadkari was running the oil ministry while the road ministry, exposed by the monsoon showers, was felt abandoned. His much-touted space technology to monitor roads was ripped apart by viral videos of potholes and craters on signature highways and expressways. However, those must have delivered the life-saving jolt to attention.
That's not just a Gadkari problem. Long-distance driving on roads better than those in the US does get drivers to doze off. Gadkari was shaken back to reality. He realised he was at the wheel of a petrol tanker with Puri enjoying back-seat driving. Highly inflammable!
People had suddenly realised there was a problem in their motor oil and vehicle engines and needed a blame guy. Someone had been lame enough to be the blame-magnet. The career politician realised how he had become the face of bad press while a career diplomat stayed away.
Gadkari stood on the brakes of the tanker and jumped out. He immediately began inspecting the highway. Puri had no option but to drive on, slowly.
Since the last couple of days, Gadkari has been on the road, trying to disappear from the tanker's rear-view mirror.
Puri is trying to learn to defend the rushed E20 policy. At times his struggles are evident. The petroleum minister doesn't know the rate of Brent Crude. That's as crude as the finance minister not knowing the rupee-to-dollar value. But at least Puri is back in the ministry.
So, till the anticipated reshuffle happens, Gadkari is back on the road and Puri in blended oil, which is piping hot right now. Which is how it should have been in the first place. All's blended oil, if it ends well.
