New Delhi:
Nitin Gadkari has opened his innings as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president with a clear signal that he is for "politics of development".
"I believe that growth and development should reach everybody. And the party believes I am capable enough," Gadkari said on Sunday. (
Watch: Nitin Gadkari for 'politics of development')
The new BJP president was speaking exclusively to NDTV, as he arrived in his hometown to a rousing four-hour welcome. (
Read and Watch: Nagpur's rousing welcome for Nitin Gadkari)
But Nitin Gadkari knows that these celebrations will die down soon, and real politics will catch up. He has taken charge at a time when his party is going through one of its worst lows, dealing with losses in elections and infighting. (
In pics: BJP's new leadership takes over)
Brokering unity and tackling the trust deficit will be tough. All the warring leaders - L K Advani, Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Murli Manohar Joshi - are Gadkari's seniors. The unsettled race for BJP's political face will widen the fissures, especially since the Advani camp has opposed the growing interference of RSS in the BJP affairs and was initially against Gadkari's appointment.
"My election is a BJP decision; the RSS does not instruct me," clarifies Gadkari, adding, "It's just a section of media that believes the RSS controls the BJP." Yet, reports suggest that RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat handpicked Gadkari to repair the organisation, and correct the 'ideological deviations'.
The biggest challenge will be to restore the image of the party. With its senior leaders locked in a turf war, the BJP's credibility is seriously outstripped by that of the Sonia-Rahul combine - which sacrificed the lure of posts.
Gadkari has made it clear that though he is new to national politics, he is still confident of running a party that's on the back foot. (
Watch: 'I am new to national politics, but confident')
But pulling all this off will not be easy. Those who lost the race to him will make things difficult for him, as was the case with Rajnath Singh. "In any organisation the authority of the president should not be undermined. The line of command should flow from the top," says Gadkari's predecessor.
Ask anyone in the BJP, and they will tell you that the list of troubles Gadkari will face are endless. The baptism by fire will be the pressures and wrangling he will face in January 2010, when he sits down to create his team of secretaries and general secretaries.
Gadkari is the ninth BJP president since 1980 when the party was formed and Atal Bihari Vajpayee became its first president. (
Read & Watch: Nitin Gadkari elected BJP's President)
Gadkari says it's a miracle that he got appointed as BJP president. "I don't know why my party selected me for this post, but my election was a unanimous decision," he says, adding, "I never imagined that I would occupy a chair once held by Vajpayee ji and Advani ji. They are like gods to me."