Gadkari plans to tap Congress vote bank

Call him the BJP’s 10% man if you will. The BJP president, Mr Nitin Gadkari, feels that his party can return to power at the Centre if it can bridge the 10 per cent gap in votes with the Congress.

In its effort to gain that elusive 10 per cent, Mr Gadkari told this newspaper in an interview, the BJP has set aside its Ram Janmabhoomi agenda and plans to reach out to the traditional vote bank of the Congress.

Mr Gadkari said the BJP would adopt “21st century politics”, more aimed at progress and development rather than communal issues. Shifting its focus, the BJP is constantly taking up economic issues, he pointed out.

The party will open its arms to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and minorities, traditional vote banks of the Congress.

“The BJP is 10 per cent votes behind the Congress. The BJP needs to improve upon its strength in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. We have to strengthen the party base by including Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minorities and labour in the unorganised sector,” Mr Gadkari said.

“Our main focus will be on Andhra Pradesh and South India where the problem of water is at its severest,” he said.

“We will take up the issue of linking of rivers and conservation of water to increase production by five times.” He evaded a question on Maharashtra, his home state, going ahead with irrigation projects on the upper Godavari basin, affecting existing projects in Andhra Pradesh.