Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has said that the Indian Air Force strikes in Balakot should not be linked to the general elections and no one should either politicise or take credit for it.
In an interview to IANS, Minister of Road Transport andHighways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and GangaRejuvenation said that he was neither a contender for any post nor was he inany race for the prime ministership.
He said that Narendra Modi would return as Prime Ministerwith a huge mandate and it would be bigger than the one he got in the 2014 LokSabha polls.
“Air strikes against Pakistan should not be linked toelections. It should neither be made an electoral issue nor should anyone takecredit for it,” Gadkari said, and added that if opposition parties wereraising doubts over it, it was their problem.
“But I would request them that they should not dopolitics over it,” he said.
Asked why the ruling dispensation was raising the issue inits election campaign, he said: “Security is supreme for us. This issueshould not be politicised. If anyone in India raises doubts on the martydom ofour soldiers, if someone speaks in the language Pakistan speaks, all these goagainst the country’s interest. These are issues of national security andeveryone should speak in one voice. There should not be politics over suchissues.”
On speculation that he could be projected as the next PrimeMinister if his party needed the support of other political parties to form agovernment after the elections, Gadkari said he was not in the race to be PrimeMinister in case of a fractured mandate.
“Neither do I have any aspirations nor does the RSShave any such plans. There is nothing like this. My statement was twisted bythe media. You can go to YouTube and listen to it. I never said so. Neither amI a contender for any post nor am I in any race. In fact, I am sure that the wewill get a bigger majority than we got in 2014 and Modiji will again becomePrime Minister,” he said.
“India’s image has also gone up across the world and the return of Wing Commander (Abhinandan) in 48 hours following his capture by Pakistani forces is the best example of this,” he said.
Brajendra Nath Singh