Nitin Gadkari says he was offered support for PM post, he declined
Nagpur, Sep 14: Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday said a political leader once offered to support him if he were to enter the race for the Prime Minister's post, but he declined the offer stating that he did not nurse that ambition.
"I remember one incident -- I would not name anyone -- that person said `if you are going to become prime minister, we will support you," Gadkari said at a journalism awards function here, without specifying when the conversation took place.
"But, I asked why you should support me, and why should I take your support. To become the prime minister is not the aim in my life. I am loyal to my conviction and my organisation, and I am not going to compromise for any post because my conviction is foremost for me," the senior BJP leader added.
In his speech, Gadkari underlined the importance of ethics in both journalism and politics.
Recalling a meeting with a senior CPI functionary, Gadkari said he told the communist leader that late A B Bardhan was among the tallest politicians from Nagpur and Vidarbha.
When the leader expressed surprise saying that Bardhan was an opponent of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Gadkari said honest opposition should be respected.
"I said one should respect a person who opposes with honesty, because there is honesty in his opposition....one who opposes with dishonesty deserves no respect," said Gadkari.
Comrade Bardhan was faithful to his ideology, and politics as well as journalism now lack such people, he said.
Democracy will be successful only when all four pillars -- judiciary, executive, legislature and media -- follow ethics, the BJP leader further said.
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'One nation, one election' not practical; BJP's bid to divert attention: Kharge
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Wednesday said 'one nation, one election' is not practical and alleged that the BJP comes up with such things to divert attention from real issues when elections approach.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge made the assertion as the Union Cabinet approved the proposal for 'one nation, one election' as recommended by the Kovind panel.
The panel headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind had submitted the report in March ahead of the announcement of Lok Sabha elections. Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the report was approved unanimously by the Cabinet.
Asked about the issue, Kharge said at a press conference here, "It is not practical. It will not work. When elections come, and they are not getting any issues to raise, then they divert attention from real issues."
Senior Congress leader T S Singhdeo said, "It is only a strategy of political convenience, and what I can see is nothing beyond that. The same party which is governing the country as part of the NDA has been talking about this for the past few years."
"You see their intent. Had they really been proponent of this view that this will be a great benefit to the country and the society...what attempt did they make to ensure that Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections take place at the same time," he said.
Senior Congress leader Harish Rawat said the BJP has realised that they will lose elections in Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
"After losing one state after another, the BJP was not in a position to sustain that pressure that would've resulted in collapse of their coalition government. That's why the rattled government has opted for 'one nation, one election' formula," he said.
Placing the Kovind panel report before the Union Cabinet was a part of the law ministry's 100-day agenda.
The high-level committee had recommended simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies as the first step followed by synchronised local body polls within 100 days.
The panel had also proposed setting up of an 'Implementation Group' to look into the execution of the recommendations made by the committee.
It also recommended the preparation of a common electoral roll and voter ID cards by the Election Commission of India in consultation with state election authorities.
