English phrases like “he puts his foot in his mouth” or “he talks though his hat” or “shoot off at your mouth” or “shoot your mouth off”, aptly describe our Union Transport & Highways Minister Mr Nitin Gadkari. There is no end to his gaffes. A few days back he told a televised gathering somewhere in Uttar Pradesh that soon he will introduce “buses that fly in the air”. This is not just a one-off statement from him. He has been doing this for years.
Today, we live in a digital word. Through the mobile phones we carry, Google tracks our every step. Our smart phones apparently overhear every word we utter and uses that to push surprisingly interesting notifications to us. And when you are a public figure, dozens of cameras follow you, recording everything you say. These recordings later land up as part of television news, or YouTube videos or videos that form part of Instagram, Facebook or X (formerly Twitter) posts.
Once upon a time we may have heard of the “Long arm of the Law”. Today, it’s the long arm of the digital world. Whether you are an influencer, a politician, an actor or just an ordinary citizen, if you have had an exposure to the digital world, you are bound to be remembered for the rest of you lives, for the wise words you spoke or the foolish statements you made.
Mr Nitin Gadkari is an educated person. He has done his M.Com, LL.B, D.B.M. (Nagpur University). He has a couple of Honorary Degrees--D.Litt (SRM Institute), Ph.D. (Galgotias University). Since 2014, he has been India’s Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways. He has been a chief guest at almost every major automotive industry function in the country. For obvious reasons, our industry leaders fawn upon him, the moment he enters the hall. A few automotive magazines have even invited him for their annual award ceremonies. In short, he is a very popular Minister and is omnipresent in almost every automotive show in the country.
When I was an active journalist working with Motown India, I have heard him speaking at various official functions. Initially, I was truly impressed by him, especially the “tall promises” he used to make for the betterment of the nation, our roads and the country as a whole. But then later, I saw through his hollow speeches and backed off. Now I see him more as an entertainer than a serious politician. He continues to be a powerful Minister and he continues to make statements that are alarmingly unbelievable, sometimes bordering on ludicrosity.
I went into Instagram and typed “Gadkari’s gaffes” and soon it was flooded with a whole lot of videos. Excerpts from the various videos:
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I have an x ray machine in my office through which I can see if there is any crack or pothole on the road, how many trees are there, etc. It's a technology that I possess, said Mr Gadkari. In spite of this machine, pot holes are plenty on the roads Gadkari built.
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The Dubai prince sought a favour from our Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi. The PM asked him to spell it out. The Dubai Prince said that for six months please export Nitin Gadkari to Dubai to improve Dubai’s infrastructure. This is what Mr Gadkari has been quoted as saying.
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Mr Gadkari hailed companies like Maruti Suzuki, Toyota Kirloskar and Hyundai. He said their vehicles have been tested for E20 fuel. But then Mr Arvind Kejriwal, former Delhi Chief Minister, an IITian, read out from the manuals of these companies saying that its best to avoid this fuel in case the customer feels there is dip in mileage or faces any other problem. Once the government came to power in 2014, ethanol blending was done at a fast pace. First at 10 per cent and then at 20 per cent. According to an Instagram video, Purti Group was owned by Gadkari family. The company was split into Manas Agro Industries and CIAN Agro Industries. These are run by his sons Sarang Gadkari and Nikhil Gadkari. He is not even Petroleum Minister but is always promoting ethanol.
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To be fair to Mr Gadkari, in a recent interview, he denied favouring his sons and revealed that his sons’ firms are in huge debts
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Ethanol is derived from corn, wheat, sugar cane and rice. Of these, three crops are water guzzling crops. When the interviewer asked Mr Gadkari about it, he termed this argument as “anti national”. Further, the Minister asked the interviewer, “Who says in India there is water scarcity?”.
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ICIC Lombard has claimed that if your car is not compatible to E20 and in case you put E20 fuel in it and it gets damaged, then you cannot claim insurance. Thankfully, the decision to bring in E85 and E100 have been stalled for the moment.
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My brain is worth Rs 200 crore per month, Mr Gadkari said in a speech in Marathi.
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Mr Gadkari said that petrol which is available at Rs 120 per litre, will be brought down to Rs 15 per litre after ethanol blending. The fuel average of the vehicle will not be affected, he said. In another video he says the price of blended fuel will be Rs 75 per litre. In yet another video, he denied making the Rs 15 per litre statement. Today pure petrol is available at very few outlets and that too at around Rs 164 per litre!
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If any vehicle run on petrol gets spoilt by use of ethanol blended petrol, please go to the dealer, get it checked and send a copy of the complaint to me, said the Minister. How is that possible? Where will a common man appeal? And what will you do thereafter? Get our money reimbursed?
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In one old video, the Minister said, he earns around Rs 2.5 lakh every month as a social media influencer. He donates the entire amount towards a hospital and a religious place, he claims.
In short, I feel Mr Gadkari has made several statements that have backfired. By now, he must realise that chickens do “come home to roost”. As a Union Minister, he should be a lot more careful with what he says in public. You cannot away from the long arm of the digital world. In short, Mr Nitin Gadkari does not need any enemies, because …..