‘New freedom when petrol, diesel imports stop’: Gadkari pushes for alternative fuel
Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said India would achieve a “new freedom” when it no longer has to import petrol and diesel.
At the ‘Sagar Manthan’ conclave organised by RSS-affiliated publication Panchjanya in Goa, Gadkari said, “Our import today is Rs 16 lakh crore. If we reduce this import… (by adopting) cost effective, pollution-free and indigenous (alternatives), where will this Rs 16 lakh crore go? It will go into the hands of the poor of the country.”
He also recalled a conversation he had with former RSS sarsanghchalak K S Sudarshan. “He asked me why we have this problem of terrorism? He said the solution to this problem was linked to the import of petrol, diesel and fossil fuels. Jis din ye import band nahi hoga, vishwa mein aatankvad samapt nahi hoga (Till the day this import does not stop, terrorism will not end in the world),” Gadkari said.
The Union minister called for the use of alternative fuel, and pointed out that farmers were making ethanol from sugarcane juice, molasses, bamboo, food grains and rice straw.
“I have a car that runs on ethanol. I keep promoting the use of bio fuel and alternate fuel. Mera toh maksat hi hai life ka ye petrol-diesel walon ka band baaja hi bajana hai (My mission in life is to take these petrol-diesel people to task). The day that even a single drop of these fuels stops coming to India, a new freedom will be achieved,” he said.
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