Gadkari asks BJP to keep its slate clean and fight graft

At the same time,he cautioned that the BJP must be a party above corruption and should ensure that its own slate is clean so that people do not point fingers at it.

“Even though we are charging the government with corruption,we must also look at ourselves and ensure that our leaders,MLAs and MPs are corruption free”,the BJP president said.

The BJP would look at introducing a system wherein only people with a non-corrupt background will join the party,he said,adding,”We do not want people to enter politics to make money.”

Gadkari said the party would try to replicate in other BJP ruled states a Bill passed by Madhya Pradesh government that can hold even the Chief Minister accountable for corruption.

BJP’s campaign against corruption in UPA government has been dented with allegations against its Chief Minister in Karnataka B S Yeddyurappa who is facing charges of land grab and nepotism.

Gadkari hit out at the UPA government on the black money issue and claimed that while smaller countries like Peru and Philippines managed to retrieve money stashed away in foreign countries by corrupt politicians,India has not yet managed to retrieve even a rupee.

“Instead,our government filed an affidavit in the Supreme court seeking permission to conceal the identities of those Indians who have stashed money in tax havens. I do not understand this reasoning,” Gadkari said.

The BJP president said effective use of information technology can tackle the scourge of corruption.

Exhorting party workers to fare better in non-BJP ruled states,Gadkari said,”As of now,we have governments in eight states. After the polls in five states,I hope that number will go up to nine at least”.

He said the party should focus on winning the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and for that,workers should reach out to people at the grassroot level.

Gadkari also said the BJP was one of the few parties that did not follow dynastic politics “unlike DMK and Congress” and this would work in their favour as people were fed up with this family-oriented politics.