Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday revealed that a prominent political leader had proposed to support him if he wanted to become the Prime Minister. However, the veteran BJP leader said he declined the offer, as "the role was not his life’s ambition."
Gadkari made the interesting remark during a speech he gave at the Anil Kumar Patrakarita Puraskar Samaroh organised by Vidarbha Gaurav Pratishthan on Saturday.
Reiterating his commitment to the organisation, Gadkari said: "I remember one incident... I won’t name anyone. That person said, 'If you are going to become the Prime Minister, we will support you."
"But I asked, why should you support me, and why should I accept your support? To become a Prime Minister is not the aim in my life. I am loyal to my conviction and organisation and I am not going to compromise for any post because my conviction is most important to me. I think that this conviction is the biggest strength of Indian democracy," Gadkari told the audience.
Though he did not give any other details, including who proposed the idea and when it happened, Gadkari's speech went viral on social media. While many praised him for his commitment to the organisation and conviction, others reacted that stating this on a public stage hinted at his desire to helm the top post. Some added that he was putting himself as a contender for the post for the next general elections.
Gadkari has been Minister for Road Transport and Highways in the last two Narendra Modi governments.
An MP from Nagpur Lok Sabha seat, Gadkari emerged as a potential Prime Ministerial candidate during both the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections. There are also speculations that the political leader who offered to support the leader was from the Opposition INDIA bloc, just after the 2024 election results were announced.
However, months before the elections, Gadkari aleared the air about speculations that he could be a "consensus PM face" in case the Narendra Modi-led NDA government fails to secure a majority mark. "I was never in the race for the prime minister’s job. I am content with whatever I am today. I am a committed BJP worker with conviction, not a politician by calculation," Gadkari told the Times of India during an interview.