New Delhi:
Taking over at a time when BJP has been facing a series of electoral debacles and factionalism, party president Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said indiscipline will not be tolerated and emphasised on continuing with Hindutva while criticising votebank appeasement politics.
"We need to understand the spirit behind the term discipline. Indiscipline is not a subject for discussion but for execution. No indiscipline will be tolerated," Gadkari said during his first interaction with the press.
When asked about his future plans, including appointment of office-bearers who would form part of his team, Gadkari said performance and not proximity would be the criteria for it.
"Since, I am from a management background, I always say that whether financial audit is done or not, performance audit is a must," he said, adding, an internal Performance Audit Mechanism would be devised to ensure good governance at every level where BJP is in power.
Clarifying that a change of guard at the top does not mean a change in ideology, Gadkari said BJP's stand on Article 370 (special status to Jammu and Kashmir), Ram temple at Ayodhya and uniform Civil Code would continue.
Criticising appeasement politics for votebank, he said, "We believe in genuine secularism. Justice to all, appeasement of none. What starts as appeasement of minorities becomes appeasement of terrorists".
Gadkari contended that he will appoint his team of office-bearers on the basis of their performance and was consulting state units to get their views. "I believe in
decentralisation of power. The office-bearers should be like self-start engines who do not have to wait for orders," he said.
Insisting that Naxalism and terrorism had harmed the unity and security of the country, Gadkari said his party will extend all support to the government if it takes strong steps to deal with the menace.
"We will definitely support the government if it takes an strong steps in combating terrorism. We will not oppose for the sake of opposing," he said.
The new BJP president said his priority was to build up the party for the long haul and strengthen the NDA by winning over more allies.
"My aim is to expand the organisation in the next three years. Every political party thinks about the next election but we think in terms of the next century," he said.
Indicating that BJP did not intend to change its policies, Gadkari defended Hindutva saying even the Supreme Court had contended that it was not about a particular religion but a code of conduct.
Putting to rest all the speculations about his getting lost in the woods in Delhi, which has several veteran leaders, he said, "In the last two days, I have experienced and I agree there are many senior leaders here. L K Advani and other leaders have assured they will stand behind me in support. I am not going to be pressurised."
He said "bonafide mistakes" by workers were possible in politics but leaders were there to correct them.
Asked if he would be strict with the party cadre, Gadkari said, "I believe in taking firm decisions."
Citing the crisis in BJP's Rajasthan unit, where former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and her bete noires - who are supported by RSS - have been fighting, the 52-year-old leader said he wanted to end internal squabbles in the party.
"I asked (central) party leaders to cancel their appointments yesterday (to deal with the crisis). I spent six hours understanding the problem. I want to put a full stop to this. I want to end the problem in Rajasthan," he said.
On a question on whether he wanted former BJP leaders like Uma Bharti and Govindacharya to come back to the party fold, Gadkari said, "We have not received any offer from them. If it comes, we will certainly consider."
He refuted suggestions that RSS was interfering in the day to day affairs of the party. At the same time, Gadkari - widely believed to be the RSS choice for the BJP's top post - said he had not met a single party worker who wanted the party to cut off its links with the Sangh.
Gadkari, who seemed to have done his homework well and was sure-footed on most issues, said he would set an example of not hankering after posts by not taking membership of either Houses of Parliament till he is party president.
However, he kept going back to his achievements in Nagpur and invited media persons to his hometown to see his achievements.
"We need to understand the spirit behind the term discipline. Indiscipline is not a subject for discussion but for execution. No indiscipline will be tolerated," Gadkari said during his first interaction with the press.
When asked about his future plans, including appointment of office-bearers who would form part of his team, Gadkari said performance and not proximity would be the criteria for it.
"Since, I am from a management background, I always say that whether financial audit is done or not, performance audit is a must," he said, adding, an internal Performance Audit Mechanism would be devised to ensure good governance at every level where BJP is in power.
Clarifying that a change of guard at the top does not mean a change in ideology, Gadkari said BJP's stand on Article 370 (special status to Jammu and Kashmir), Ram temple at Ayodhya and uniform Civil Code would continue.
Criticising appeasement politics for votebank, he said, "We believe in genuine secularism. Justice to all, appeasement of none. What starts as appeasement of minorities becomes appeasement of terrorists".
Gadkari contended that he will appoint his team of office-bearers on the basis of their performance and was consulting state units to get their views. "I believe in
decentralisation of power. The office-bearers should be like self-start engines who do not have to wait for orders," he said.
Insisting that Naxalism and terrorism had harmed the unity and security of the country, Gadkari said his party will extend all support to the government if it takes strong steps to deal with the menace.
"We will definitely support the government if it takes an strong steps in combating terrorism. We will not oppose for the sake of opposing," he said.
The new BJP president said his priority was to build up the party for the long haul and strengthen the NDA by winning over more allies.
"My aim is to expand the organisation in the next three years. Every political party thinks about the next election but we think in terms of the next century," he said.
Indicating that BJP did not intend to change its policies, Gadkari defended Hindutva saying even the Supreme Court had contended that it was not about a particular religion but a code of conduct.
Putting to rest all the speculations about his getting lost in the woods in Delhi, which has several veteran leaders, he said, "In the last two days, I have experienced and I agree there are many senior leaders here. L K Advani and other leaders have assured they will stand behind me in support. I am not going to be pressurised."
He said "bonafide mistakes" by workers were possible in politics but leaders were there to correct them.
Asked if he would be strict with the party cadre, Gadkari said, "I believe in taking firm decisions."
Citing the crisis in BJP's Rajasthan unit, where former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and her bete noires - who are supported by RSS - have been fighting, the 52-year-old leader said he wanted to end internal squabbles in the party.
"I asked (central) party leaders to cancel their appointments yesterday (to deal with the crisis). I spent six hours understanding the problem. I want to put a full stop to this. I want to end the problem in Rajasthan," he said.
On a question on whether he wanted former BJP leaders like Uma Bharti and Govindacharya to come back to the party fold, Gadkari said, "We have not received any offer from them. If it comes, we will certainly consider."
He refuted suggestions that RSS was interfering in the day to day affairs of the party. At the same time, Gadkari - widely believed to be the RSS choice for the BJP's top post - said he had not met a single party worker who wanted the party to cut off its links with the Sangh.
Gadkari, who seemed to have done his homework well and was sure-footed on most issues, said he would set an example of not hankering after posts by not taking membership of either Houses of Parliament till he is party president.
However, he kept going back to his achievements in Nagpur and invited media persons to his hometown to see his achievements.
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