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Dnyanesh Jathar
Dnyanesh Jathar

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The Transporter Refuelled: Nitin Gadkari's rise through the ranks of BJP

PTI9_18_2017_000063B Union Minister for Transport and Water Resources Nitin Gadkari | PTI

The Ganges is a harsh mistress—fickle, untamed and volatile. But, in 2014, then prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi was confident. He committed $3.06 billion to clean up the heavily polluted river, over a period of five years. But his pet project, the Namami Gange Programme, never took off. Fast forward to 2017. Barely two years before the general elections, and under pressure to show results, the prime minister brought out the big gun. Uma Bharti was divested of the prestigious water resources and Ganga rejuvenation portfolio, and taking over the reins was the ever-dependable Nitin Gadkari.

Who is the man tasked with the seemingly undoable labour of Hercules—cleaning 2,525km length of very 'votable' waters?

On September 8, Union Minister for Transport and Water Resources, Nitin Gadkari, announced Rs 60,000 crore assistance from Centre for river linking and irrigation projects in Maharashtra. Making the announcement at the residence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Gadkari gave a detailed breakup of the projects which will be taken up on priority. "At present, Maharashtra's irrigation capacity is 22 per cent. In two years, the chief minister and I will make sure that it reaches 40 per cent," said Gadkari. That statement was classic Gadkari. His love for big numbers, big projects, and bombastic announcements was on full display, as he lived up to the reputation of a man who aims for the undoable.

In the first phase of this project, Gadkari wants to link Par-Tapi-Narmada and Damanganga-Pinjal rivers with a water-sharing agreement between Maharashtra and Gujarat. Simplifying matters for him, both the states are under the BJP rule. This measure could possibly solve the issue of water scarcity in north Maharashtra. If we crunch the numbers, Gadkari's Rs 60,000 crore boost to Maharashtra irrigation may appear unachievable, but the man has secured a reputation as a 'performer'. He gave the country its first expressway—between Mumbai and Pune—in the mid 90s, when everyone thought such roads existed only in Europe. Since then, there has been no looking back for Nitin Jairam Gadkari. His star has continued to rise in Indian politics despite hiccups like allegations of irregularities in the Purti group of companies that he owns.

In many ways, Gadkari's is a classic case of how RSS nurtures ambitious men, assisting them in their rise in politics. Yet, there are those who would argue that Gadkari does not suffer from the ideological rigidity that so typifies the Sangh and its cadres.

Having excelled in the development of road network in Maharashtra as PWD minister, Gadkari reached the national stage for the first time when the then prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee appointed him the chairman of National Rural Road Development Scheme (Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana—PMGSY). Gadkari did commendable work there.

With the death of Pramod Mahajan in 2005, RSS decided to prop up Gadkari. While the Sangh leadership never liked Mahajan, they respected his grasp on Delhi politics. Gadkari, on the other hand, had always been a blue-eyed boy of sorts for the RSS. So his appointment as the BJP national president in 2009 was no surprise for those who understand how the RSS operates. Gadkari could have been the BJP president for two full terms, but the RSS were forced to rescind their blessings after allegations of irregularities rose against his Purti group of companies.

PTI5_20_2015_000091B Nitin Gadkari

Gadkari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi respect reach other, but the former certainly isn't as close to Modi as Arun Jaitley is. In fact, in 2011, Gadkari's admiration of Sanjay Joshi had upset Modi so much that the latter had threatened to stay away from the BJP national convention in Mumbai. Gadkari had plans to bring Joshi back to the BJP.

It is reliably learnt that when Modi was forming his cabinet of ministers, Gadkari was consulted about the defence portfolio. The latter conveyed that he preferred an umbrella ministry controlling all transport departments except civil aviation. Gadkari got the transport ministry, but Suresh Prabhu was made the railways minister.

According to Madhav Bhandari, chief spokesperson for Maharashtra BJP, Gadkari is singularly passionate about any task or assignment that he takes up. "The first milestone in his career was his performance as the Maharashtra PWD minister. The next milestone came when he was appointed the leader of opposition in the state legislative council. He was the state BJP president at the same time. The way he exposed scandals in the Congress NCP government, led by Vilasrao Deshmukh, made everyone take note of him. This was the time when Pramod Mahajan had just passed away and the state BJP needed a shot in the arm. As the state chief, he was the first to lock horns with Shiv Sena and declared that 'Shat Pratishat BJP' (100 per cent BJP) was his goal as the party's unit chief," recalled Bhandari, a long time associate of Gadkari.

Bhandari also points out that that Gadkari started a business because he didn't want his family to be dependent on an income from politics. "Gadkari has always said that he was not into the business of politics. He was in public service to ensure social justice and empowerment. That is why he started a business and gave a source of income to his family."

Gadkari is blunt, a man who doesn't take 'no' for an answer. He believes in calling a spade a spade. Recently, he openly blamed the bureaucracy for delays in infrastructure projects. In private conversations, he can point out which project file is stuck at which particular desk.

He hates the culture of 'darbar politics', believing in remaining accessible to the public. Weddings of his children have been lavish affairs attended by nearly one lakh guests including party politicians, industrialists, and celebrities.

Most surveys analysing the performance of ministers in the Modi government have consistently given top rankings to Gadkari. He had recently announced that a number of highways will be inaugurated in the next six months by the PM.

Now that he has been entrusted with water resources and Ganga rejuvenation portfolios, in addition to shipping, roads, and highways, Gadkari's reputation as a 'performer' will be tested like never before.

Will he overcome the task at hand? Only time will tell. 

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