The BJP government on Tuesday was left red faced as two of its senior ministers - Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari - made contradictory statements on whether the web-based cab service Uber should be allowed to operate in the country or not.

The BJP government on Tuesday was left red faced as two of its senior ministers - Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari - on Tuesday made contradictory statements on whether the web-based cab service Uber should be allowed to operate in the country or not.

"The ministry of home affairs has advised the state government and union territories to ensure that the operations of web-based taxi services are stopped and such service providers which are not licensed with the state governments or union territory administration are prohibited to operate till they get registered themselves with the administration," Singh said in Rajya Sabha.

His colleague though, had a contradictory view. "New developments are taking place in transport systems through electronics. Banning the railways for train accidents, buses for bus accidents and taxis is not correct," Gadkari said outside Parliament House.

The Congress lost little time to profit from the confusion, accusing the government of speaking in two voices. "Government must clarify... your cabinet colleague has criticised the ban on Uber," Anand Sharma said in Parliament, indicating towards Gadkari, and demanding that "sarkar ek sur mein baat kare".

Was this a simple case of crossed wires? Some sources claim otherwise.

According to this report in The Telegraph, Singh was 'misled' into issuing an advisory by bureaucrats who had much to benefit from radio cab services.

"The minister (Rajnath) is coming around to the view that the ban was perhaps illogical and that he was misguided by his bureaucrats. Suspicion was some of the officers were batting for local radio taxi operators," a BJP source told the daily.

The other reason could well be the Delhi Assembly polls. Late last evening, Singh reportedly had a long meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the ban advisory issued and its political and economic implications.

The advisory issued by the Centre could well be a political calculated move to send the message that the government is taking 'adequate measures' to ensure the safety of women in the capital city. This, as political parties such as the Aam Aadmi Party as well as the student wings of various political parties held protests outside Singh's house.

In the end, it is Gadkari's position that will likely prevail, given that the Modi government is widely perceived to be pro-business. The advisory was not a directive to ban the cab service but said they not be allowed to ply until they meet with required regulation that is already in place.

While Uber has refused to go off the road and continues to operate across the country, Gadkari has promised a complete overhaul of the Motor Vehicle Act that could well see stricter regulation for cab services in the country. For now, though, it will be left to see if state governments implement the advisory or merely have it on paper.