It is amusing to know that the Union Highway Minister Nitin Gadkari is the spokesperson for the Oil and Gas Ministry headed by Dharmendra Pradhan. Only a day ago, Gadkari announced publicly that the Petroleum Ministry is setting up five ethanol plants, where the fuel would be produced from paddy straw, wheat straw, sugarcane and municipal waste. Consequently, diesel would be available at Rs 50 per litre and petrol at Rs 55. Some saffron insiders joked that the de jure oil guy is only a puppet. All critical decisions are made by Modi, Shah and Gadkari with regard to oil and gas matters. So, what Pradhan does not seem to know is that switching to ethanol, methanol, bio-fuel and CNG will cut down dependence on petroleum and reduce the prices of petrol and diesel as Gadkari has said. He has never said that once anywhere.
India is importing petrol and diesel worth Rs 8 lakh crore and prices keep increasing by the day. Rupee is falling against the Dollar. Gadkari said that he has been harping on the bio-fuel promotion for the last 15 years. Farmers, particularly in the tribal regions, have been enticed in more than one way to produce ethanol, methanol and other bio-fuel to become rich and lead a luxurious life. Now is the time to take off. Dharmendra, it seems, has been adequately tipped and trained not to talk big about the oil and gas affairs except keeping praising NDA projects and hailing the Modi-Shah duo blindly. Some of the Odisha BJP guys keep projecting the MP from MP as the Chief Ministerial candidate for the State, where every other day the local saffron loudmouths keep bringing down the BJP image by blasting the BJD on the wrong fronts and invariably biting tongues thereafter. Some real good saffron biggies, say Pratap Sarangi of Nilgiri, would do a better job as a CM candidate as he is credible and leads a respectably austere life. Sarangi may win his seat if only the BJD pits against him a nondescript, never-known guy, but his singular victory coupled with a few more here and there, never exceeding twenty or so, shall not certainly usher Sarangi in to the top chair in Odisha.
Dharmendra has his basics hazy in head. He cannot differentiate between plain public popularity and predictable winnability of a political adventurer. Evidently, he has neither any base nor a good enough fan following to win any Assembly seat and become Odisha boss. He seems to have no geographic region to call his pet one or absolutely own. So, Lok Sabha for him is conclusively ruled out. If only just once Pradhan had engaged in modifying the Ambani grip over the Oil and Gas Ministry, he would have proven himself to be a Minster of substance.
Only one gutsy UPA Minister, Jaipal Reddy had fixed the Reliance biggies by exposing the company’s breach of contract issues and highhanded behaviour apart from having moles in the Government system to get even classified information and critical decisions modified to their favour. Dharmendra has nor ever spoken a word about the influential corporates that have been identified on record as ones that have benefited beyond limits from the oil projects in the Cauvery-Godavari basin. Every time when ministries or regimes change, corporate watchdogs keep waiting to see if the new team of the executives is fixing wrongdoers at all. Pradhan has not uttered penalty in this regard just once or is ever likely to do so. Because he is only the de jure, not the de facto oil and gas boss. He has been told specifically to keep the battle with the invincible BJD on so as to keep image intact and make some faint political gains. The saffron officials in Odisha are a confused, nay disillusioned, lot. They keep singing Modi-Shah songs as told, no matter how foolishly and on the wrong zones.
The ground truth is though known to the NDA decision makers and analysts. They know capturing Odisha is out of the question unlike any other State with even highly popular leaders with real good stronghold over electorates. The Modi-Shah duo is fully aware that irritating Naveen Patnaik or the BJD front-liners would cause disaster. So, they seem to have impressed upon the BJD masters that a stage play of local sparring has to go on to keep the saffron entity live in the minds of the masses; but in the eventual situation of the BJD having wiped out all contenders, the two colossal parties would be allies at the Centre with all benefits to the State guaranteed.
The Modi-Shah duo knows that the coming elections would not be a cakewalk for the BJP and allies as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and more would simply crumble like house of cards for the masses around there have lost trust in the saffron hue for gross misrule or foolish moves over the years. Naveen Patnaik remains cool for he knows he has nothing to lose; but if the Modi-Shah regime is helped to be back in place for a pound of savoury flesh for the home State, that would most certainly be looked upon as a smart move, not a sin or blunder. Political pundits say the Modi-Shah brains are bound to seek Naveen’s support to remain in place. The saffron number is sure to dwindle in 2019. For all this, the people get to see the grand sparring on the television and in print. The BJP players in Odisha do not seem even to know that the big bosses up there have to strike a deal with the BJD for survival in the post-poll period or else, they would be pushed out of the scene for good. Whether or not Naveen has agreed to the seemingly sensible proposal would be known only after the polls. But for sure, the BJP has to buy support in return for a hefty good for Odisha.
Dharmendra is witlessly restless now as he would not know what’s cooking up there. He is Oil and Gas boss when the petroleum products’ prices have smashed all records in history. He has not made clear to public once why the ‘hell’ and what’s being done to sooth the furious common man who is compelled to pay a heavy price on all fronts due to hike in transportation charges. Dharmendra better vanish on a sabbatical to some hardcore Arab clime to watch and learn in closed confinement the oil and gas things -- exploration, production and the business compulsions. That’s the only way by which he can become smarter and saner to be able to woo any electorate he chooses as own. His motor-mouth also would get ample rest and rejuvenate itself for a better act after the oil and gas exposure. Nitin Gadkari then would cease to be the spokesperson for his Ministry and let him talk sense.
As the poll sleuths get to know, the next general elections will be dumped on people this year-end when the BJP-damaged regions like Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are forced to face elections. Delay means disaster for the saffron brigades across the country.
(The writer is a core member of Transparency International, Odisha)