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MUMBAI: On Your Call this week, Sonia Varma Singh catches up with Nitin Gadkari, new BJP President who is already in the middle of his first political controversy, barely a month after he took over. A Maharashtrian, Gadkari makes it clear that his party is backing the RSS against the Sena on the whole North Indian migrant issue in Maharashtra, though he refuses to speculate on the future of the Shiv Sena- BJP alliance. He is also defiant on the comparison he made between Mahatma Gandhi and Narendra Modi, saying both had worked for the poor. He also for the first time outlines his version of Hindutva and how the party would work for the betterment of minorities.
Replying on his view on the current controversy between the RSS and the Sena in Maharashtra, Nitin Gadkari also talks about the right of every Indian to reside and settle in any part of the territory of the country, as stated in article 19(1)(E) and that there is no conflict between the national spirit and the state spirit.
On being branded as a RSS man by media, Gadkari responds by saying that though he is inspired by RSS thinking, he takes his own decisions and is not remote controlled by any organisation or leader. He also adds that RSS never interferes in political activities of BJP.
On him being one of the lesser recognised faces of BJP, he says it is just a starting point for him. It takes time to establish oneself and he is confident of succeeding in his mission.
To know more about what BJP President Nitin Gadkari spoke, watch Your Call this Sunday, February 7, 2010 at 9:30pm only on NDTV 24x7.
