People are unable to accept Narendra Modi as PM: Gadkari

Coming down on the opposition, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari today said many people and political parties are still not in the mood to accept Narendra Modi as Prime Minister.
"What my feeling is that there are lot of people in the country who are not in a mental position to refute that Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister...," the Road, Transport and Highways Minister said.
"And because of lot of their convictions may be some Left parties, Socialists they have some anti-BJP approach, they are not in mood to accept Narendra Modi as Prime Minister," he said at the event 'Off The Cuff' hosted by noted journalist Shekhar Gupta.

He further said: "Second, is in media also, I don't want to blame them, but they are all interested in negative news. I am doing hundreds of positive things, but nobody is interested in asking me about it. They are interested in creating more controversy and think it is part of their TRP, I don't know what it is..."
He then questioned Gupta on why is the media not covering positive news or events.
"People may not have support with our ideology, it is a democracy, but I can't understand one thing, I am a pure RSS man, I am very proud of it and RSS is a part of my life and I am never going to bother about it.

"If suppose anyone is doing a good job and he is either Communist or from the Congress or with BJP or any other party, why are they not recognised?," he questioned.

At the time when Narendra Modi became Prime Minister the GDP growth was 4.5 per cent and now it is 7.6 per cent so somewhere things are moving fast, they are changing and BJP's emphasis is to enhance the potential of the economy, Gadkari stressed.
"So the way in which 'Make in India', 'Made in India' is going, the way in which innovation, technology are increasing, the way in which we are trying to lower our logistics cost, we are going to encourage new technology in the country, I think that there is good atmosphere," he added.

When asked why is BJP entangled in issues such as eating beef, sloganeering in universities, Gadkari said in a lighter vein: "We have some manufacturing defect. What experience we have is that when I entered politics I was a student leader so we used to burn effigies, court arrest, show black flags.
"So many people in our party are disturbed because we are made for opposition party. Our DNA is of opposition party..."
He further said: "Unfortunately we have not adopted the mentality of a ruling party. Now people whom you show on TV, I was the party's President and I have never seen them.

"I feel it will take time for us to accept mentality of a ruling party. We have so much experience of opposition party... We are such a democratic party that everybody speaks," Gadkari joked.
On the role of bureaucracy and political leadership in the reform process, he said it is the role of the political leadership to initiate administrative reforms.
The Minister said that he has announced formation of an Empowered Group of State Transport Ministers to advise on policy issues to make the country's transport sector modern, efficient and transparent.
He said the government is also seriously working towards solving the issues related to land acquisition.

The pace of land acquisition for highway projects has jumped manifold after enhanced compensation with the new law proving a boon in disguise, he added.
He said with the pace of acquisition gaining momentum, projects were being implemented in full swing.
Even farmers who had parted with their land for the projects earlier are to get enhanced compensation under the new land acquisition law in case they are yet to be compensated under the old legislation, the Minister added.
Gadkari said the Inland Waterway Bill will shortly get the Rajya Sabha nod, paving the way for of 111 river ports.

"We have already initiated investments worth Rs 80,000 crore for mechanisation, modernisation and computerisation of ports under the Sagarmala project," he added.