This does not feel like an election; only question is if BJP can break last term’s record: Gadkari

 

 

“Upcoming municipal elections do not feel like election to me, only question is whether Bhartiya Janata Party breaks record of last term,” said Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways. He was speaking at the ‘Chana Poha with Nitinji’ programme organised by BJP at NIT garden, Sakkardara on Monday. The programme was moderated by noted Nagpur-born actress Girija Oak-Godbole. Gadkari used the interaction to outline his governing philosophy, criticising the tendency to treat politics as a route to personal power. “Many see politics as a tool to gain power and we need to change this definition.

 

For me, politics is an instrument of socio-economic development. It is work for the nation, work for society, and work for development,” he said. He emphasised that political action should focus on public benefit rather than factional advancement. Recalling his own entry through student politics, Gadkari noted that the BJP had struggled to secure municipal seats even during periods of acute civic distress. The minister narrated an incident during a protest at the Senior Bhonsala Palace, during which a dog bit a party worker, a situation he described as a prelude to the party’s first municipal victory. The anecdote underscored the party’s limited early presence in urban Nagpur. Reviewing civic performance, Gadkari cited the 24x7 water supply project as a flagship success.

 

“Nagpur is the only city to successfully implement the 24-hour water supply scheme, which is a big success,” he said. He added that the city’s growth as an educational and medical hub had accelerated in recent years under BJP stewardship of the municipal corporation. Looking to the future, Gadkari listed decongestion of city roads, rationalisation of market spaces, and provision of playgrounds for children as priority areas. He reiterated plans to redevelop the cotton market and shift textile trading to large air-conditioned complexes designed to streamline wholesale activity. He blamed citizens’ parking habits for persistent traffic obstruction. “The citizens build big buildings and still choose to park the vehicles on sides of roads.

 

Until the citizens change their habits, the problem cannot be solved,” he said. Addressing criticism that concretisation of roads had caused monsoon flooding, Gadkari argued that black cotton soil conditions made tar roads unsustainable. He attributed earlier flooding to outdated sewer lines and encroachment along the Naag river. “The water-logging happened due to outdated sewer lines and encroachment on Naag river. This year, even with more rain than last year, no water-logging occurred due to anti-encroachment drives in the Naag river,” he said. The programme concluded with Gadkari urging citizens to vote for the BJP, followed by serving of ‘Tarri Poha’ for attendees.