MY CLARIFICATION...
to statements made by Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh regarding his warning to me to refrain from making comments on #CockroachJantaParty
The meeting and the LG's tweet happened on 26th evening, yet I avoided reacting to the post that evening. But next morning it dawned on me that it was more of a press statement than just a tweet as the absurd statement appeared in several newspapers. So I made this video but again restrained myself from posting...
Shayad unki aakhri ho yeh sitam, har sitam yeh soch kar hum seh gaye...
But this morning even more media channels carried this... and I kept getting calls from journalists for my comments.
So finally here it is...
Media house are welcome to use it... no copyright
Journalism is sometimes confrontational. We seek answers. If any interview subject, especially with power, do not answer what I asked, I will try to interrupt and get a more focused response. That is my job & duty. I want answers and not just talking points.
THIS IS BIG:
A Supreme Court bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan STRONGLY CRITICISED the judgement denying bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam. While granting bail to a Kashmiri man who was charged with UAPA, the bench made no hesitation in stating that the order denying bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam was completely WRONG.
The bench said, "We have serious reservations about judgment in Gulfisha Fatima.... The broad reading of Najeeb suggests that the mere passage of time, if it arises from all surrounding circumstances, mechanically entitles an accused to release."
The bench said, "We have no manner of doubt in stating that even under the UAPA, bail is the rule and jail is the exception."
The bench clearly said that the KA Najeeb order was binding on the two-judge bench which denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam.
In Najeeb case, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court had ruled that bail must be given in UAPA cases if the trial is indefinitely delayed. Umar Khalid is in jail for more than 5 years without trial and Sharjeel Imam is in jail for more than 6 years without trial.
The bench which denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam was a two-judge bench. The court clearly said that a two-judge bench can't go against the order of a three-judge bench.
The bench further said, "We make it clear that Najeeb is binding law and entitled to the protection of judicial discipline. It cannot be diluted, circumvented, or disregarded by trial courts, High Courts, or even by benches of lower strength of this Court."
बोललं तर आवडत नाही, झोडलं तर राग येतो अशी स्थिती महाराष्ट्रातील सत्ताधाऱ्यांची आहे. हम करे सो कायदा अशा न्यायाने सत्ताधारी वागत आहेत. यांच्या शहाणपणावर मला अनेकदा शंका येते. अधिकारी तर फक्त थुंकी झेलायला ठेवलेयत. कुण्या शहाण्याने यांना घाटात उद्घाटनाचा स्टेज बांधायला सांगितला त्याचा जोड्याने सत्कार करायला हवा. कार्यक्रम खालापूर च्या फूड मॉल ला करून तुम्हाला लाँग ड्राइव्ह करून उद्घाटन करता आलं असतं. इतक्या उन्हात लाखो गाड्यांना कोंडीत अडकवून काय मिळवलं? कित्येक गाड्या तापल्यामुळे बंद पडल्या आहेत. त्यांना मदत करण्यासाठी कुठलीही यंत्रणा नाही. तुमच्या नालायकपणामुळे या गाड्या बंद पडल्या आहेत, लोकांना त्रास झाला आहे. एखाद्या कार्यक्रमाचं ही आपत्तीत रूपांतर करणाऱ्या शासनाच्या संवेदनशीलतेबाबत मला शंका आहे.
* ज्या ट्रोल्स ना तुम्ही आता कामाला लावणार आहात, त्या ट्रोल्स ना ही माझं सांगणं आहे, चुकीच्या गोष्टींची सुपारी घेताना रेट दहापट वाढवून घ्या. स्वस्तात काम करू नका. #MumbaiPuneHighway #Traffic #MissingLink
To save 1 litre of imported crude, India is spending 2,860 litres of groundwater.
That's the single statistic missing from the entire E85 debate.
E20 is done. The government's draft notification for E85 (85% ethanol, 15% petrol) is ready. Most reactions are either "great, energy independence" or "my mileage dropped." Both are shallow.
Here is the actual trade India is making.
The economic logic is real:
India imports 85%+ of its crude. The FY25 import bill was ~$137 billion. Ethanol blending has already saved ₹1.08 lakh crore in forex and put ~₹92,000 crore in farmers' hands since inception. Every 1% of blending = ~$1 billion in annual savings.
But ethanol is not a free lunch:
🔹 Ethanol has 33% less energy per litre than petrol.
🔹 US DoE data: FFVs on E85 get 15 to 27% fewer miles per gallon than on petrol.
🔹 The offset is octane. E85 rates ~105 vs petrol's 91. In purpose-built engines (turbo, high-compression, direct injection), higher octane recovers most of the energy loss.
The catch. India's fleet is 90% E10-ready at best. You cannot pour E85 into a Swift. Flex-fuel vehicles need stainless fuel lines, upgraded pumps, 30% larger injectors, ethanol content sensors, and recalibrated engine maps.
The hidden cost nobody is pricing:
🔸 E20 at today's consumption needs ~1,016 crore litres of ethanol annually.
🔸 At 2,860 litres of water per litre of ethanol, that is ~2.9 trillion litres of water per year. The annual water footprint of 200+ million Indians.
🔸 E85 scales this 4x+.
🔸 60% of India's ethanol now comes from maize and broken rice. India, a net corn exporter, imported 1 million tonnes of corn in 2024 because of ethanol diversion.
🔸 Retail sugar moved from ₹40 to ₹45/kg in two years partly due to cane diversion.
The reframe most people miss:
The ethanol programme is not an energy policy. It is an agricultural subsidy dressed as an energy policy. The forex savings are real. The farmer income transfer is real. Both are the actual goals. The mileage drop is a tolerated cost. The water and food inflation risk is the hidden tax.
E85 will happen anyway. The listed winners sit in three buckets:
🔸 Sugar and distillery players with integrated ethanol capacity
🔸 Auto ancillaries making ethanol-compatible injectors, pumps, fuel lines, sensors
🔸 OEMs going flex-fuel first (Toyota, Maruti and Hyundai are already prototyping)
Energy independence is not free. India is trading barrels of oil for billions of litres of water and millions of tonnes of grain. Whether it's worth it depends on which constraint matters more in 2040 — your oil bill, or your aquifer.
पोलिसांनी परवानगी दिलेल्या आंदोलनात येऊन आंदोलनामुळे ट्रॅफिक जॅम होत आहे, हे नरेटिव्ह देण्याची गरजच नव्हती. ज्या पोलिसांनी परवानगी दिली, तेच ट्रॅफिक नियमन करण्यासाठी उपस्थित होते. पुणेकरांचे प्रश्न फक्त रिलस्टार मांडत नाहीत. पत्रकारही बातम्या करतायेत. पण उद्धटपणा जात नाही यांचा!
@ishmohit1 LloydsMe business update
* Highest Ever Production of Iron ore at 21.96 mnt, 2x higher than
FY25 and Q4FY26 higher 529% YoY.
* DRI production at 484k tonnes, higher 57%YoY
* Pellet Production at 3.03 mn tonnes, annualised capacity
utilisation of 100%
"Feminism at its low." 🚨
Hindu astrologer Ashok Kharat was arrested by Nashik Police in a rape case.
In a viral video, MH Women Commission head Rupali Chakankar is seen washing his feet.
Even if she had no idea about him, how can a Chairperson of State Women Commission wash the feet of any man while showing reverence, even in the name of religion or rituals? She holds a responsible position.
Reportedly, Rupali Chakankar is also a member of a trust where self-styled Godman Kharat serves as president. In another instance, she refers to him as her guru.
This is a big blot on women empowerment. She must resign from the post, as no girl will feel inspired by a Chairperson of State Women Commission who washes the feet of a man who was later arrested in a rape case. Such actions send the wrong message to society.
The chairperson of a State Women Commission must uphold dignity and set the right example. She should take responsibility and consider stepping down. Just now.