Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday said an Opposition leader approached him before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, offering support to make him the prime minister, but he declined the offer stating he did not have such an ambition.
"There was a surprising incident. I would not name anyone — that person said 'if you are going to become prime minister, we will support you'," Mr Gadkari, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, said at a journalism awards function in Maharashtra's Nagpur.
"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 said.
#WATCH | Nagpur, Maharashtra | Union Minister Nitin Gadkari says, “I do not want to name anyone but a person said to me, if you are going to become a Prime Minister, we will support you. I said, why you should support me, and why I should take your support. To become a Prime… pic.twitter.com/yo6QDpqq5b
— ANI (@ANI) September 15, 2024
The 67-year-old leader, who scored a hat-trick by winning the Nagpur seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, said he thinks that "this conviction is the biggest strength of Indian democracy." In his address, he also underlined the importance of ethics in both journalism and politics.
Nitin Gadkari has often received praise from the Opposition.
He retained the road transport and highways portfolio in the third Narendra Modi government after his stellar work in expanding road connectivity in the country in the first two terms.
Mr Gadkari entered politics as a student leader of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarathi Parishad (ABVP) and later joined the Janata Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of the BJP.
He also headed the Maharashtra BJP till 2009 before being elevated as the BJP National President to become the youngest-ever party president.