Gadkari takes first step toward maximum reach

In one of his first initiatives,BJP president Nitin Gadkari has convened a meeting of finance ministers of BJP-ruled states on January 6 in the Capital where a brain-storming session....

In one of his first initiatives,BJP president Nitin Gadkari has convened a meeting of finance ministers of BJP-ruled states on January 6 in the Capital where a brain-storming session is expected on ways to reach out to the poor. After Gadkari,in his inaugural press conference,invoked Deendayal Upadhyay and his philosophy on the need to reach out to the man standing last in the queue,the BJP finance ministers meet is likely to adopt a resolution on the lines of the initiative taken by the Maharashtra BJP wherein it had adopted 500 drought-stricken families from across the state.

In an interview with The Indian Express,Gadkari had last week shared his economic philosophy. To a question,he had said: Jawaharlal Nehrus thrust was on maximum production,but Mahatma Gandhis thrust was on maximum production with maximum involvement of people. I agree with the latter view. Handicrafts,handlooms,etc,need to be encouraged. Public-private partnerships too need to be encouraged. We should make optimal use of technology and make products that are world class.

Gadkari had also told this paper that besides Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani,George Fernandess commitment to fight for the poor had influenced him a great deal,and that he would like a seva prakalp in every Assembly constituency of the country. Sources say a pro-poor thrust is likely to be seen at the BJP finance ministers meet.

After its defeat in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections,many BJP leaders had said the NREGA and loan waiver schemes translated into handsome electoral gains for the ruling Congress. While various BJP leaders charged that the NREGA had been a drain on the exchequer due to leakages in the system,theres a strong realisation that schemes like antyodaya initiated in Karnataka,Chhattisgarh have often resulted in electoral dividends for the party and this thrust is likely to be visible at the finance ministers meet.

Gadkari is likely to follow up the finance ministers meeting with a meeting of chief ministers of BJP-ruled states,where besides economic programmes,measures like compulsory voting in local bodies elections,mooted by the Gujarat government,are likely to be discussed. The new BJP president is also putting together a programme for the NDAs consolidation and expansion but party leaders insist that rebuilding the BJP and overseeing the development of the BJP-ruled states shall be the priority for Gadkari.

The BJP office-bearers of the outgoing team,meanwhile,will meet on January 7,where a formal decision on its national council and executive slated for mid-February in Indore is likely to be taken.