Beginner's Luck

The day the BJP government was sworn in four years ago, crude oil price of the Indian basket stood at $108.05 a barrel. In September it plummeted to $96.96, falling through October and November, till in December it stood at $61.21. At a Delhi election rally in 2015, the new PM said, "Let's accept, I am lucky."

Oil spill

He added, "If due to my good luck, prices of petrol and diesel come down and common man saves more, then what is the need to bring someone who is unlucky?" Clever campaign point, but Modi did not share his good fortune with the people. Benefits of falling crude prices were never passed on to the people. Oil prices remained high as the government continued to up tax components. And then, the narrative started to change.

Them and Us

It swings between extremes. Defence. BJP IT chief Amit Malviya tweeted in 2017: "Every time you buy petroleum products, you contribute to nation building." He put out an infographic too. But when experts pointed out fundamental errors - the ex-banker added Rs 14.98 and Rs 9.02 to arrive at Rs 27.44 - he began piling offence. First he blamed the UPA, next the states: "...it is the state governments run by likes of Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee who benefit..." So, are there only two states in India?

Look, no fuel

Union minister Alphons Kannanthanam said, "Who buys petrol?... somebody with car... they are not starving... who can afford to pay has to pay." And when fuel prices were at a record high came the unkindest cut - the 1 paisa a litre waiver. And as the oil minister reportedly burned the midnight oil to find a solution, far away in Indonesia one lucky man flew kites. The chosen ones use the pushpak viman to move around, powered by charisma, divinity and, of course, democracy.