New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party is committed to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ideology, and J.P. Nadda was “misquoted” on BJP-RSS relations ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, said Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.
BJP president J.P. Nadda kicked off a storm during the run-up to the 2024 LS polls after he said in an interview with The Indian Express that the BJP was now capable and did not need the RSS to run its affairs.
“Hum sangh vichar ke prati samarpit hai (We are committed to the RSS ideology) … Can we forget the mother who has given birth?” Gadkari asked in an exclusive interview with ThePrint.
Reiterating that the BJP and the RSS will remain together, Gadkari emphasised his strong bond with the RSS. Besides the BJP, the Sangh and the Vidyarthi Parishad (BJP’s student body) made him whatever he is today, Gadkari said.
Talking about his long stint in politics, he said, “I have been the party president, minister, and opposition leader. I was a minister in Maharashtra … But, nobody comes to welcome me at the airport; nobody sees me off ... publicise what I do,” he said.
“But, I have courage. I once said during elections: Jo karega jaat ki baat, usko kas ke marunga laat (I will kick whoever talks about caste),” Gadkari said, adding that he does not believe in casteism.
‘Not interested in 2nd stint as BJP president’
As the process for electing the new BJP national president gathers steam within the party, Gadkari, who became the youngest president in 2009, also said he was not interested in a second stint.
“I do not have any interest in becoming BJP president now. I have been the president once … Now, ‘who will become the party president‘ the BJP’s parliamentary board, the PM, and the incumbent president will decide after discussing with the party workers,” Gadkari told ThePrint.
Gadkari had to step down as president in 2013 when he did not seek re-election due to resistance against his leadership from within the party after the Income Tax raids in the offices of companies linked to him, including the Purti Group.
The IT department, in 2014, gave a clean chit to Gadkari in the case. The minister said he did not want to delve into what happened back then, but whatever people had been saying was proved wrong.
“It was a political conspiracy … and it was on from earlier before I became the president. I did not go to anybody to become president … and when it was under discussion that there was a need for an explanation, I went to them and said: Why should I? You choose another president,” Gadkari said while adding that he is a BJP worker and would complete whatever responsibilities he had to.
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‘Young, talented leaders needed’
It was during his tenure as BJP president that Nitin Gadkari promoted many leaders who have gone on to occupy prominent positions in the party and the government now. J.P. Nadda, Bhupender Yadav, Smriti Irani, Ravishankar Prasad, and Anurag Thakur, are among them.
Asked about the generational change he brought to the BJP during his stint as president, Gadkari said change is important everywhere.
“Jo kal tha woh aaj nahin hai, jo aaj hai, kal nahin hoga (What was yesterday is not today, what is today will not be tomorrow) … samay ke sath badalna hai (one has to change with time),” he said, adding that the country needed a futuristic vision, futuristic leader, and young talents.
“There are a lot of expectations on the party and the leadership … and that is why a selection of young talented new leaders is needed,” he said.
Gadkari further said that as the party president, it had been his duty to bring in young talents to the national fold.
“I always tell people that between person and party, the party is important, and between party and philosophy, the philosophy is important. We are working for one school of thought. That thought is nationalism; it is our inspiration,” he said.
Gadkari further said that among older politicians, George Fernandes and former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee were his icons.
‘Target to build 40 km highway, daily’
Gadkari said the highways sector in India has taken a giant leap since 2014 (after the NDA government came to power), and the speed of progress has continued. “The target is to build 40 kilometres of highway daily,” he said.
“We are making highways, express highways, green express highways, tunnels, bridges … We are building roads from Kashmiri to Kanyakumari … everywhere, the work is going on,” Gadkari said.
The minister highlighted how some 98 tunnels are coming up in Kashmir, and some are already complete. “One can travel from Delhi to Srinagar in three hours … All these road infrastructure will hugely boost tourism in Kashmir,” Gadkari said.
Gadkari also said that he was aware of public anger against any toll and that in his ministry, he is currently working to bring in a policy that will address toll-related concerns.
However, he admitted that his only failure as road minister was that he could not reduce the number of road fatalities in India.
“I tried a lot … We overhauled the Motor Vehicle Act, but road accidents continue to rise. There is a need to change public behaviour. In India, there is no respect for law,” Gadkari said.
In 2023, there were 55 road accidents per hour in India—up by 4.2% compared to 2022.
To check the high number of accidents, Gadkari said the road and transport ministry is working to bring in further amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act to make it more stringent.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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