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.
Showing posts with label BJP president. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BJP president. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Gadkari in Spain amidst BJP crisis
The BJP president, Mr Nitin Gadkari, who is also chairman of a sugar factory, embarks on a personal business trip to Spain from Monday while his party remains entangled in a series of political problems, including in Jharkhand.
Mr Gadkari, whose business interests include electricity generation through sugarcane, is also expected to visit some biofuel generation projects in Spain.
Mr Gadkari will be travelling with his family and plans to return to India after a fortnight.
A section of the BJP has voiced objections to the party president going on a “vacation” at a time when some crucial issues, including the political crisis in Jharkhand and key organisational appointments, remain pending.
In Jharkhand, while the former chief minister and Jamshedpur MP, Mr Arjun Munda, is the frontrunner for the chief minister’s post in Ranchi, the power-sharing formula with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, its coalition partner in the state, is yet to be resolved. The JMM wants the chief ministership to be shared between the two parties on an equal basis. The smaller members of the coalition, including the AJSU and Janata Dal (U), had asked the BJP president to take a final call.
But with Mr Gadkari going abroad on Monday, the matter would remain unresolved till his return.
Hectic lobbying is also on within the party for the state in-charge posts, particularly for those of BJP-ruled states, but these too can now only be decided after Mr Gadkari comes back.
Mr Gadkari, whose business interests include electricity generation through sugarcane, is also expected to visit some biofuel generation projects in Spain.
Mr Gadkari will be travelling with his family and plans to return to India after a fortnight.
A section of the BJP has voiced objections to the party president going on a “vacation” at a time when some crucial issues, including the political crisis in Jharkhand and key organisational appointments, remain pending.
In Jharkhand, while the former chief minister and Jamshedpur MP, Mr Arjun Munda, is the frontrunner for the chief minister’s post in Ranchi, the power-sharing formula with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, its coalition partner in the state, is yet to be resolved. The JMM wants the chief ministership to be shared between the two parties on an equal basis. The smaller members of the coalition, including the AJSU and Janata Dal (U), had asked the BJP president to take a final call.
But with Mr Gadkari going abroad on Monday, the matter would remain unresolved till his return.
Hectic lobbying is also on within the party for the state in-charge posts, particularly for those of BJP-ruled states, but these too can now only be decided after Mr Gadkari comes back.
