Gadkari talks ‘politics for development’

Accompanied by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal,Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal,BJP general secretary and Punjab affairs in-charge Balbir Punj and MP Navjot Sidhu,Gadkari said the party will see a major revival in the coming days “because people are fed up with the UPA’s policies”. He was speaking at a function organised to unveil the statue of late BJP leader Dr Baldev Parkash.

He asked the BJP workers to get ready for a “new kind of politics,where personal pursuits would give way to national interest”. He said he himself has decided not to take any post during his tenure as party president. “I used to paste posters on walls,and now I am the president of the second largest party in the country. So,we should concentrate on work instead of running after posts,” he said.

Gadkari termed terrorism as the biggest threat to the nation’s unity,and said the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre has failed to check the menace. He reiterated that the BJP will launch a nationwide agitation against the UPA on the issue of rising inflation.

Badal and his deputy Sukhbir asked the BJP chief to launch the agitation from Punjab. “No one has suffered more at the hands of the Congress than Punjab,” said Badal.

Gadkari was honoured with a sword and turban by the alliance leaders. State BJP head Rajinder Bhandari,Cabinet Minister Manoranjan Kalia,BJP leader Kamal Sharma and a number of MLAs were present.