India News | 'Maharashtra People Gave Us Unprecedented Mandate, Now It's Our Responsibility to Fulfil Their Expectations': Nitin Gadkari

Shirdi (Maharashtra) [India], January 12 (ANI): Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday, hailed Mahayuti's huge win in the Maharashtra Assembly Elections, and emphasised the responsibility to work 10 times better than the previous governments, with a focus on good governance, social harmony and 'Shivshahi'.

He said that every youth should get employment, there should be no need to come out of villages for jobs and there should be 'smart villages' instead of 'smart cities'.

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Speaking at the BJP's Maharashtra Convention in Shirdi, Gadkari said, "We should not be satisfied just by defeating Congress. We have to bring change in the lives of the people, otherwise, the public will ask us what we did (for the welfare of the people in the state). They will say 'You did what they did'. We have to do 10 times better work than the previous governments. Every youth in Maharashtra should get employment. There should be smart villages and not just smart cities. People come to the city out of compulsion."

"Our government has done the work of providing work to the hands of 10,000 youths in the same Gadchiroli. This district will be the highest revenue-generating district in the coming times...It was the situation during the Congress era that children from rural areas came to Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, and Nagpur without any hesitation. But this situation will change in our time," he added.

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Highlighting the example of Bhimrao Ambedkar, the Union Minister said no one becomes big or small by winning or losing an election. He also made a veiled attack on the Opposition, saying some people are trying to "spread hatred" by doing "caste politics" in the state.

"The people of Maharashtra have given unprecedented success. They have given it for Shivshahi (government for the welfare of the people like Shivaji Maharaj). The responsibility of fulfilling the expectations of the people is now on us. We have to bring social harmony. After the victory in Maharashtra, we have to bring good governance to the state. We have to bring social transformation through power," Gadkari said.

He added, "No one becomes big or small by winning or losing an election, we are recognized by our work. Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar contested the elections from Vidarbha and was defeated, no one knows those who won the election, but Dr Ambedkar is recognized all over the world. Work is being done to spread hatred by doing caste politics in Maharashtra, but a person is great not by his caste but by his work."

Speaking on his upcoming visit to Kashmir for the inauguration of the Sonmarg tunnel on Monday, the Union Minister recalled how J-K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also praised the road and infrastructure projects.

"I am going to Kashmir after the program. Tomorrow there is the inauguration of a tunnel with PM Modi. I met the CM of Kashmir, and he told me that you have built such good roads, tourists have increased three times. People have increased. Today there are so many big tourist places in Maharashtra. Reducing imports and increasing exports is the biggest patriotism," he added.

The Maharashtra Assembly Election, held in November last year, witnessed a decisive victory for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, securing a landslide win with 235 seats. The results marked a significant milestone for the BJP, which emerged as the single-largest party with 132 seats. The Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party also made notable gains, with 57 and 41 seats, respectively.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi suffered a major setback with Congress winning just 16 seats. While Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) secured 20 and 10 seats respectively.

Earlier in the day, Nitin Gadkari along with BJP MP Kangana Ranaut, inaugurated the seventh edition of the Khasdar Krida Mahotsav, which began with a marathon featuring over a thousand participants, in Nagpur on Sunday.

The 20-day sporting event, which commenced today featured competitions across the city, with total prize money of Rs 1.5 crore. Approximately 80,000 athletes, aged between 4 and 85 years, are expected to participate. The event will include the distribution of 762 trophies and 12,317 medals to the winners.

Speaking at the event, Gadkari said, "I am very happy that we are starting the Krida Mahotsav in its seventh year today. Thousands of athletes participated in the marathon earlier this morning, marking the beginning of this event on January 12. Over the next few days, we will all have the opportunity to enjoy various sports competitions in this arena. I am also delighted that this year, the program will run for 20 days."

"This year, 80,000 athletes will participate. From children as young as four years old to senior citizens aged 85, everyone will take part in these games. There are 762 trophies, 12,317 medals, and prize money totalling Rs 1.50 crore," he added. (ANI)

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