Neither do I have aspirations nor RSS any designs to make me PM candidate, says Gadkari
New Delhi: Union minister Nitin Gadkari Sunday said neither does he have any aspirations nor the RSS any designs to project him as a prime ministerial candidate and asserted that making "calculation" has never been his forte in politics or work.
Amid speculations that he could be the BJP's prime ministerial candidate in case of a fractured mandate in the upcoming general elections, the senior party leader said he was not in the race and stressed that "tireless work" was his mantra.
"I have not done any calculation, never set targets -- neither in politics nor in work. Mai to chala jidhar chale rasta (I follow the path wherever it leads). Jo kaam dikha karta gaya (Accomplished whatever is assigned to me). Believe in doing the best for the country," Gadkari told PTI in an interview.
Seeking to rubbish speculations that he could be the "Prime Minister in the making", the senior minister made it clear that "neither there is anything like this in my mind nor RSS has any such thing. Nation comes supreme for us."
"I do not see dreams, neither I go to anyone nor I do any lobbying. I am not in this race... I my telling you from my heart," the minister at the helm of key infrastructure ministries of the Narendra Modi government said.
Talking further about the speculations, Gadkari, also a former BJP chief, said that he does not know what people are thinking but that he has "nothing to do with it, not even remotely".
Gadkari also asserted that he and his party stood "solidly behind Modiji who is doing very good work".
"Given what work we have done, I feel we will get more seats than the last time under Modiji," he said and termed the 'Mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) of Opposition parties for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls as 'Mahamilawat' (high adulteration).
Earlier this month, he termed speculations about him being in the race for prime minister as "mungeri lal ke haseen sapne" (day dreaming).
On being a favourite with the Opposition members too, Gadkari remarked that whoever came to him, he believed in helping them with a positive attitude. "Whatever maximum I can do I try," he added.
Last month in the Lok Sabha, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi along with other Congress members appreciated Gadkari for the "wonderful" work he has been doing in improving the country's infrastructure.
Describing himself as a "workaholic, Gadkari said massive work has been done by the central government in various sectors, including infrastructure that has seen projects worth over Rs 15 lakh crore.
On whether he felt some tasks could not be completed in the current tenure, Gadkari said there were no regrets as "whatever was there worth working I did... No one is perfect and no one should think he is perfect... One should work relentlessly."
Gadkari is in charge of the road transport and highways; shipping; and water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation ministries.
While viewing politics as a "game of compulsions, limitations and contradictions", the BJP heavyweight from Maharashtra said that anything can happen in politics and cricket.
He exuded confidence that BJP was going to get a thumping majority and increase its seats tally in the upcoming general elections.
Listing out various initiatives of the government, he said the national health insurance scheme has benefited 10 crore families, 1.5 crore houses have been built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and 6 crore people have got gas cylinders and that the number would go up to 12 crore.
"The poor have got rid of 'chulha and koyla' (traditional stove and coal). Electricity has reached (people) under Ujjwala Yojana" and many obsolete legislations have either been done away with or amended, he emphasised.
Gadkari runs 1,100 Ekal Vidyalayas in extremist-hit areas of Maharashtra. These schools have 21,000 students and 950 teachers.
Besides, he runs "four hospitals on wheels" and has helped in getting artificial limbs from London and Germany for 900 people.
Further, 8,000 heart operations have been done and 1.5 lakh women have been screened with advanced machines brought from the US for breast cancer. Around 3,000 women detected with cancer have been given treatment, he said.
"I (also) do a lot of work in biofuel, organic farming, and work much for villagers specially poor farmers. Good days are coming in biofuel. Apart from my departments, I have done much in other things of my liking. Have got CNG kits for tractors from Poland and using it in one tractor will save Rs 60,000 in a year," the minister said.
A strong supporter of biofuels, Gadkari said biofuel has also been derived from bamboo and is being tested at the Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun. There are also plans for large scale bamboo plantation as part of efforts to produce biofuel.
"We want to work for tribals and if bio aviation fuel can be derived from these technologies in tribal areas, we can save Rs 30,000 crore," he said, adding that plans are on the anvil to increase the country's ethanol economy from Rs 11,000 crore to Rs 2 lakh crore.
Regarding works to clean Ganga, Gadkari said during his recent visit for 'Kumbh snan' people told him that for the first time in 50 years they found the river "nirmal and aviral" (pure and with continuous flow) .
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Iran hits Gulf neighbours, keeps stranglehold on oil shipping as concerns rise of energy crisis
Beirut (AP): Explosions echoed across Beirut early Monday as Israel struck the Lebanese capital. It also launched a new wave of attacks on Tehran, while Dubai was forced to temporarily close its airport after an Iranian drone hit a fuel tank.
Since being attacked by the United States and Israel more than two weeks ago, Iran has been regularly hitting Israel, American bases and its Gulf Arab neighbours' energy infrastructure with drones and missiles.
It has also effectively stopped shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil is transported, giving rise to growing fears of a global energy crisis and putting pressure on Washington as consumers are already feeling the pain at the pump.
Brent crude, the international standard, remained stubbornly over USD 100 a barrel on Monday. It was at USD 104 in early trading, up nearly 45 per cent since the US and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. It has spiked as high as about USD 120 during the conflict.
President Donald Trump said he has made demands to about seven countries to send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, but his appeals have brought no commitments. His party is growingly concerned that rising prices for American consumers will hurt the Republicans in elections this fall.
“I'm demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory, because it is their own territory,” Trump told reporters as he flew back to Washington from Florida aboard Air Force One. He did not identify the countries, but has previously appealed to China, France, Japan, South Korea and Britain.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called claims that his country may be seeking a negotiated end to the war “delusional,” saying in a social media post early Monday that his country was seeking neither “truce nor talks.”
“Our Powerful Armed Forces will keep firing until POTUS realises that illegal war he's imposing on both Americans and Iranians is wrong and must never be repeated,” he wrote on X.
Iran hits Dubai airport, forcing temporary closure
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As morning broke on Monday, a drone hit a fuel tank near Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest for international passenger traffic, causing a large fire.
Firefighters were able to contain the blaze, and there were no injuries reported, but the airport temporarily suspended all flights. Emirates, which uses the airport as its main hub, said all of its flights were “suspended until further notice.”
Later, the UAE's Defence Ministry said its forces were working to intercept another round of Iranian missiles and drones.
Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones toward Gulf countries hosting US military assets since the war began. Emirati authorities say most have been intercepted by air defences, though debris and some drones have fallen inside the country.
Iranian officials have recently accused the UAE of allowing its territory to be used for attacks against Iran. Emirati officials have rejected the allegations as misleading and said the country's actions have been defensive.
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, said it had intercepted a wave of 35 Iranian drones sent at its eastern region, home to major oil installations.
Israel's military said early Monday that Iran launched missiles toward Israel as well.
Israel's military says Iran is firing cluster bombs that can evade some air defences and scatter submunitions across multiple locations.
Israel hits Beirut and launches new attacks on Tehran
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Massive explosions were heard in Beirut as Israel launched new attacks on the Lebanese capital before dawn, saying it was striking infrastructure related to the Iran-linked Hezbollah militia group.
The Israeli army has issued evacuation orders for many neighbourhoods in Beirut as well as southern Lebanon. To date, over 800,000 people have been displaced by Israel's campaign in Lebanon.
At least 850 people have been killed by Israeli strikes so far, including 107 children and 66 women.
Not long after Israel's military announced it had launched new strikes on Tehran targeting infrastructure, explosions were heard in the Iranian capital and outlying areas.
More than 1,300 people have been killed in Iran so far, according to the Red Cross.
In Israel, 12 people have been killed by Iranian missile fire, and more have been injured, including three on Sunday. At least 13 US military members have been killed, six in a plane crash in Iraq last week.
Trump threatens to remember' which allies do not help
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On Air Force One, Trump wouldn't say which countries could be part of the coalition he wants to police the Strait of Hormuz to provide security for oil tankers and other commercial ships passing through.
But he said he won't forget the countries that decline to help. He named British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who he said initially declined to put British aircraft carriers “into harm's way.”
“Whether we get support or not, but I can say this, and I said to them: We will remember,” Trump said.
On Monday, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told parliament that her government “has not heard anything” from Washington about Trump's call for ships to help protect the Strait of Hormuz.
Japan imports more than 90 per cent of its crude oil from the Middle East, however, and she said there had been discussions about what could be done to protect Japanese ships “regardless of a US request.”
Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said he has no plans to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz under the current safety conditions.
Japan on Monday began releasing its oil reserves to address concerns about supply shortages and rising prices.
Trump has speculated that prices would fall, but wouldn't directly answer whether his administration is talking about selling oil futures as a way to cap surging oil prices, something his interior secretary had mentioned as a possibility.
“The prices are going to come tumbling down as soon as it's over. And it's going to be over pretty quickly,” he told reporters.
