Avoid ambition, internal fights: Gadkari to party

Amid widespread perception that squabbles within the BJP were not allowing it to take advantage of the diminishing clout of an embattled UPA government, party president Nitin Gadkari on Thursday cautioned its national council against internal bickering and personal ambition.

Amid widespread perception that squabbles within the BJP were not allowing it to take advantage of the diminishing clout of an embattled UPA government, party president Nitin Gadkari on Thursday cautioned its national council against internal bickering and personal ambition.

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"Avoid personal ambitions and desires. Our inspiration should be to serve the nation, not focus on individual interests," Gadkari said. "Who got power or did not get power doesn’t matter. Don’t erase others' lines, try to lengthen your own."

This advice comes at a time when the party is battling a perception of conflicting ambitions among members. The last national executive meet of the party saw Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi ensuring the ouster of Sanjay Joshi as a precondition for attending it. He had skipped the previous meet in Delhi.

The party has been wary of discussing its prime ministerial candidate because there are too many aspirants, repeating the "collective leadership" mantra as a way to avoid treading on egos.

Gadkari also "ordered" party activists to avoid protocol, sycophancy and practices such as touching the feet, stating that all activists were equal in the eyes of the party and "worshipping individuals was a feature of dynastic parties".

"All this is okay for dynastic parties, but it is bad for a democratic party. Activists are our greatest strength. Worship of the rising sun is Congress culture," he said.

Gadkari called upon the party to shed its perpetual mindset of being an opposition party, and transform itself into a visionary platform with a governance agenda. "We have worked in the opposition for too long. Now, from being a party of opposition, we have to adopt the role of a party of good economic governance."

Stating that 250 people were working on the BJP's India Vision 2025, expected by year-end, he said it would spell out the party's stand on a host of issues.