Pointing at the inevitability of a unity in the saffron alliance, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari wanted the BJP-Shivasena alliance to continue. This he said albeit the differences of opinions in both parties regarding various issues even in the Palghar Lokasabha Bypoll campaign. Giving stress to the ideological similarity, he said that in politics there was no permanent friends or enemies and that both the parties need each other.
Nitin Gadkari said,” It is an alliance done by (Sena supremo) late Bal Thackeray and (late BJP leader) Pramod Mahajan on the issue of Hindutva and both parties have no ideological differences. I want the alliance to continue,”.At a Press Conference conducted to highlight the achievements of Narendra Modi Government in last four years, Gadkari opened his heart.
See also:“2019 Main Phir Modi Sarkar”:BJP in Election Mode
Supporting the BJP promise of separate statehood to the Vidharba region, the Minister said that his party was in favour of smaller states. He hoped that the Congress would lend its support that would further ensure a two-thirds majority in the parliament, which is essential for the formation of a separate Vidarbha state.
He announced the Central Government plan to give support to the Maharashtra Government in completing 108 pending irrigation projects that would increase Maharashtra’s irrigation potential from 18% to 40%. Nitin Gadkari told the media that the work on the Mumbai-Vadodara stretch of the Rs.1 Lakh Crore worth Delhi-Mumbai Expressway project would begin in a fortnight. The cost of Mumbai-Vadodara stretch alone is Rs.44,000 crore.
The Transport Minister added that the Expressway would pass through the backward regions of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
He quoted a Marathi proverb”Tujha majha Zame na, tujha vachun karme na” which means ‘We have a lot of differences, but still can’t live without each other’, to highlight the inevitability of a stronger saffron alliance. He hoped that Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and the State BJP Chief Raosaheb Danve would be capable of forging an alliance between Shivsena and BJP. He also added that though he had been busy in his ministerial works he would happily take the task of an intermediator if his party said.
Nitin Gadkari also lashed out at the opposition for criticizing Pranab Kumar Mukherjee for accepting RSS invitation to address their valedictory function. Mentioning the incident he said, “The RSS is not Pakistan’s ISI. The RSS is an organisation of nationalists.”He considered Mukherjee’s acceptance of the RSS invitation as a good start and said that political untouchability was not good. Mukherjee had been invited by the RSS leadership to address the valedictory function of Sangh Shiksha Varg-a training camp for the RSS cadets-at the RSS HQ in Nagpur, which is scheduled on June 7. The invitation was accepted by the Former President, as informed by an RSS spokesperson.
Nitin Gadkari said that he was contented with his ministerial work and that he was not interested in the state politics. He also said that the Modi Government in its 48 months had done many works when compared to the “48years of the Nehru-Gandhi family rule”.He noted that they(BJP) did not say that they had fulfilled all the promises but the work was in progress. He said that there was a lot to be done in the agriculture field and to reduce the petrol/diesel prices.
When quizzed by the media persons about BJP’s “Acche Din” slogan in 2014 and the present tagline of “Saaf Niyat Sahi Vikas”, he said that no one was satisfied 100% and that “Acche Din”(good days) depended on one’s belief. He replied to the opposition demand of regression to Ballot boxes in polls, saying that the news about malfunctioning of Electronic Voting Machines(EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail(VVPAT) was a matter of serious concern and that the Election Commission should deal with it. He quipped at the Congress and said that if the Congress won Punjab and formed a government in Karnataka, the EVMs were good and if they(BJP) won, there was an EVM problem. That was immature, Minister said. The Senior BJP leader said,“The Election Commission is an independent and impartial body to conduct polls. The decision whether to shift to ballot boxes from EVMs is to be taken by the EC,”.
For the questions on a controversial audio clip of Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis exhorting party workers to win the Palghar bypoll at any cost and by any means, he said that CM’s intention behind making that statement was entirely different as it had been portrayed. He recounted his childhood friend Fadnavis’ character as very cultured and sophisticated.
Post Your Comments