Gadkari takes a dig at clever politicians who lack ownership and avoid responsibility

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari took a dig at political leaders in his characteristic style at an event in Nagpur. He said, "We have clever leaders in politics. They are the ones who apply balm with a finger. They wear crisp clothes, come and sit on the stage at events and try to make an impression too. But the moment the leader leaves, they run away. There are plenty of such shrewd people. Their cleverness is easy to see through, but they have no ownership. Unfortunately, all this passes in politics."

In the same conversation, Gadkari used the example of offering milk at a Mahadev temple to comment on the thinking of leaders. He said, "If everyone is asked to pour milk in a Mahadev temple so that it rains, people in politics will pour water, and not a drop of milk will be visible. The reason is that if the boss has said so, the whole village will pour milk anyway, so why use up their own milk, they think."

Gadkari further said, "In the end, some result must come out. There is no use in merely becoming gentle." He appealed to everyone to take ownership, saying, "I will come to my village and constituency and change the picture." His message was that leaders should build solid work for farmers in their villages and constituencies instead of merely putting on a show.

Gadkari also expressed confidence in the country's progress. As Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, he said India is becoming a global economic power. India is the fastest-growing economy in the world, and infrastructure is critically important for further growth. The Prime Minister's dream is for India to become the third largest economy in the world.

He said, "At the pace at which India is moving ahead at present, I am 100 per cent confident that we are heading towards becoming a global superpower."

Gadkari also said that to become an economic power today, the country needs both industry and agriculture. Both are critically important components for raising GDP. But better infrastructure is needed for industrial and agricultural development. According to him, water, transport and communication are the main infrastructure the economy needs.