Mumbai: From humble beginnings in Nagpur to getting trained in RSS and ABVP, Nitin Gadkari is now among the top-10 leaders of the BJP - and is set to become a minister for the third term in the Narendra Modi-government.
And perhaps only among them who can speak his mind out and call a spade a spade.
If one looks at the 10-year performance of the ministers in the Narendra Modi government, the 66-year-old Gadkari as the Highway-Man of India, stands out - as it is more visible on the ground as infrastructure-development is directly linked to the common people. The BJP has given Gadkari a third-term from Nagpur, the geographical centre of India. A few years ago, he landed in trouble when some people projected him as the future PM as he had to issue repeated denials.
Gadkari shot into fame when he became the Public Works Minister in the Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra in 1995-99 when he made 55 flyovers in Mumbai and the famous Mumbai-Pune Expressway, a trend-setter project. When Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the PM, he was made the Chairman of National Rural Road Development Committee which led to the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. An organisation man, his work took him to the post of BJP President. He is also the longest serving Minister for Road Transport & Highways at the Centre (2014-24) and gave infrastructure the much-needed push. His friendship cuts across party lines. Though in a decade's time, he has to lose some ministries like Shipping and Ganga Rejuvenation.
For his no-nonsense attitude and the art of getting things done, Gadkari is one of those whose work is visible on the ground. “Building Infrastructure not as just an end in itself but a driver to deliver the outcomes that we want as a society, we are committed to fulfill the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat in this Amrit Kaal,” Gadkari told DH in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls.