‘Fearless’ or ‘Greedy’? Twitter Divided On Nitin Gadkari’s Comment

Some called him ‘fearless’, while others asked him to choose his words wisely.

Union minister Nitin Gadkari is the centre of attention on Twitter at the moment – some are calling him the next prime minister, while others accusing him of being a “backstabber”.

It all began after the minister made a statement on Sunday, 27 January, where he seemingly took a dig at fellow political leaders.

“Citizens admire leaders who show them dreams, but when those dreams aren’t fulfilled, people also beat up the leaders.”

Nitin Gadkari in a statement

Many thought this was a veiled attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi commented that he is showing the prime minister “a mirror in a subtle way”. Mumbai Congress Committee President Sanjay Nirupam also tweeted saying Gadkari has launched a “fresh attack” on Modi, and that he would need to “beef up his security”.

Gadkari’s cryptic remark also led social media users to speculate about who the attack was aimed at.

While some advised him to choose his words wisely...

It would be prudent for @nitin_gadkari to refrain from making statements that can be taken otherwise. As for him #ApnaTimeAayega

— AajKoiNaamNahin (@rumikabhatija) January 28, 2019

...others were simply angry at him, calling him “greedy” and accusing him of eyeing the prime ministerial position.

Please dont pass loose comments on your aspirations to be occupying top post when Namo is around. This confuses public and enthuses opposition. Votes for BJP are due to Namo. Be real. @nitin_gadkari @AmitShah #NaMoAgain2019 #NaMoAgain @santu26 @srivats616 @medha60 @rammadhavbjp

— Believer in Indic Renaissance (@GUNATEET) January 28, 2019

Universal Truth: Satta ki bhookh kuch bhi karwa deti hai. @nitin_gadkari is getting greedy too soon. May be RSS is asking him to do this damage to get rid of Modi. But both are wrong as youth of India are with Modi.

— nri_prash (@nri_prash) January 28, 2019

Some alleged he is going the ‘Shatrughan Sinha way’.

@BJP4India @amitmalviya @AmitShah @narendramodi
Why on Earth did Nitin Gadkari make such a cryptic statement and give fodder to the opposition for their delight. Is it an effect of spending time with RG during republic day or is he going the Shatrughan Sinha/Yashwant Sinha way??

— Binu (@benewindia) January 28, 2019

Twitter page @ElectionAdda put out a poll asking users to choose the BJP leaders they think might quit the party before elections. The list had the names of Shatrughan Sinha, Nitin Gadkari, and Varun Gandhi, among others.

5 BJP Leaders Who Are Speaking Against BJP but Still in BJP. 3 of Them Likely to Quit Party Before 2019 Lok Sabha Elections

1) Shatrughan Sinha
2) Subramanian Swamy
3) Udit Raj
4) Nitin Gadkari
5) Varun Gandhi

— ElectionAdda (@electionaddaEN) January 28, 2019

There were, however, many others who praised the Union minister for speaking his mind and said they would like to see him as the prime minister. Some Gadkari supporters also said the minister is very ‘clear-headed’ and delivers on promises.

@nitin_gadkari Only speaks what he believes, and that's why I am nominating him for next PM on modi shah expenditures.
Modi will lose the majority and support will be offered by opponents on the condition of PM GADKARI

— Rajesh pugalia (@RajeshMpugalia) January 28, 2019

If BJP comes to power again I would like to see Nitin gadkari on the main chair ..

— mattu (@vanessamattu) January 28, 2019

Nitin Gadkari is most efficient Minister in the Cabinet. He is very clear headed, hard working, dynamic and a visionary. He minces no words and doesnt make empty promises. He is the right person to stake claim to the Party leadership if they come to power again.

— M Anand (@ananddevlali) January 28, 2019

This is not the first time Gadkari has upset his party members. Last year, he had said at an event that some people in the BJP need to speak less. He had said that politicians in general need to be more economical while speaking to the media.

Gadkari had also said, “We were very confident that we would never come to power, so we were advised to make tall promises. Now that we are in power, the public reminds us of those promises made by us. However, these days, we just laugh and move on.”