"Was Offered Support for PM Post", Reveals Nitin Gadkari

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Nitin Gadkari revealed that a political leader once proposed supporting his bid for the Prime Minister's position.

Gadkari, however, turned down the offer, stating that becoming the Prime Minister was not a goal in his life.

While attending a journalism awards event on Saturday, Gadkari said, "I remember one incident, I would not name anyone, that person said if you are going to become prime minister, we will support you".

"But, I asked why you should support me, and why should I take your support. To become the prime minister is not the aim in my life. I am loyal to my conviction and my organisation, and I am not going to compromise for any post because my conviction is foremost for me," he added.

During his speech, Gadkari also stressed the importance of ethics in both journalism and politics. He recounted a discussion with a senior Communist Party of India (CPI) leader, where he praised the late A B Bardhan as a prominent politician from Nagpur and Vidarbha. Despite Bardhan's opposition to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Gadkari argued that honest opposition should be respected.

Gadkari lamented the decline in ethical standards in both politics and journalism and asserted that democracy can only thrive when all four pillars - judiciary, executive, legislature, and media - adhere to ethical practices.

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