New Delhi: Union minister and senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari praising former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Atal Bihari Vajpayee said that they are the “ideal leaders of Indian democracy”.
He then said that ruling party and Opposition leaders should “introspect” and act with dignity for a healthy democracy.
“Vajpayee aur Nehru, yeh Hindustan ke loktantra ke do adarsh neta the, aur dono kehte the ki main apne loktantrik maryada ka paalan karunga (Vajpayee and Nehru were the two ideal leaders of Indian democracy. And both used to say that they would act with democratic dignity),” Gadkari said at a function organised by Hindi news channel News Nation.
“Atalji’s legacy is our inspiration and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru also had a big contribution to Indian democracy,” he said.
Recalling his years as Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly, Gadkari said there was a time when he led the charge in disrupting the House. “Once during those days I met Atalji, and he told me this was no way to act in a democracy and that it was important to convey your message to the people,” he said.
Gadkari was talking about disruptions in Parliament during the just-concluded Monsoon Session, which was as good as a washout with the Opposition protesting in both Houses over the three agricultural laws, rise in fuel prices and allegations relating to Pegasus spyware.
He said that a “strong Opposition” is necessary to keep a “check on the government” in a healthy democracy. “Therefore the Congress party should become a strong Opposition and do the work of a responsible Opposition,” he added.