None should take credit for airstrikes, says Gadkari

New Delhi, March 25

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has said that the Indian Air Force strikes against terrorists in Pakistan’s Balakot should not be linked to the general elections and no one should either politicise or take credit for it.

Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation said he was neither a contender for any post, nor was he in any race for the prime ministership.

He said that Narendra Modi would return as Prime Minister with a huge mandate and it would be bigger than the one he got in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

“Airstrikes against Pakistan should not be linked to elections. It should neither be made an electoral issue, nor should anyone take credit for it,” Gadkari said, and added that if Opposition parties were raising doubts over it, it was their problem. “But I would request them that they should not do politics over it,” he said.

Asked why the ruling dispensation was raising the issue in its election campaign, he said: “Security is supreme for us. This issue should not be politicised. If anyone in India raises doubts on the martyrdom of our soldiers, if someone speaks in the language Pakistan speaks, all these go against the country’s interest. These are issues of national security and everyone should speak in one voice. There should not be politics over such issues.”

‘BJP will increase seats’

My experience in politics says two plus two is not always four. So speculating on the basis of arithmetic will not be proper. I don’t think the BJP will lose many seats as being predicted. We will increase our tally. Like Indira Gandhi, Modi will defeat Opposition. — Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister