"No Offer Can Entice Me": Nitin Gadkari Says Declined Offer For PM's Post From Opposition (image @nitin_gadkari)

Nitin Gadkari, the union minister for transport and national highway, claimed that opposition party approached him offering Prime Minister post. He said he was approached by one of the senior opposition political leaders offering him Prime Minister post ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election, which he “simply rejected”.

Speaking at a journalism award function in Nagpur, Gadkari said he told the leader that he is a man who follows one ideology and conviction, and is in a party which has given him everything that he never dreamt of. He said “no offer can entice me”.

The minister did not provide much details of the incident. However, he hinted that a particular senior opposition politician approached him ahead of the 2024 general elections when it was believed that the BJP might not secure an absolute majority and could need support from a few opposition parties to form government.

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“I flatly told him that I was raised with certain principles and convictions, and I would not compromise on them,” he added.

Gadkari then went on and asked media to adopt same level of conviction in their profession, and added that the commitment should be passed on to future generations of journalists.

The minister voiced regret over the increasing number of “supari” journalists in the field, and accused some of misusing the Right to Information (RTI) Act for blackmailing ad personal gain. He also said some journalists have used unethical means to acquire luxury items, including Mercedes cars.

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Gadkari recalled an incident from his time as a minster, when a journalist allegedly used RTI to blackmail officials in the Public Works Department (PWD). “One of my officers informed me about this blackmail. I told him, ‘When that journalist comes to your office, lock the door and give him a good thrashing.’ And they did. After that, the publication he worked for stopped circulating”, he said.

He expressed concern over such unethical practices and urged media organisations to be more careful when issuing authority cards. He concluded by emphasising that despite the presence of such “suparibaj” journalists, there are still many ethical journalists who uphold the principles of their profession. He cited examples of journalists who, even during the Emergency, remained true to their principles and refused to compromise, even when faced with imprisonment.