BJP chief Nitin Gadkari has been dealing with the criticism that he was not the unanimous choice for the party’s top post ever since he took charge in December last.

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But on Saturday, he took an opportunity to silence his critics by pointing out that “nobody is perfect.” He even concluded that the legends of his organisation were actually ordinary people.

Gadkari inaugurated the party’s first ever national conclave dedicated to ‘good governance’ at Keshav Srushti in Uttan near Bhayander.

Five CMs of BJP ruled states, around 60 ministers from the respective states and 20 presidents of states units are attending the two-day conclave.

Those present include Narendra Modi (Gujrat), Shivraj Singh Chouhan (MP), BS Yeddyurppa (Karnataka), Prem Kumar Dhumal (HP) and Ramesh Pokhariyal (Uttarakhand). 

Though he addressed the officials present at the conclave his jibes were aimed at his party’s central leaders who believe that he is too raw in that national political scene to be leading it.

“We all are apurnank (imperfect).  You should be guided by team spirit...develop a system wherein we walk hand in hand. I feel sad when I see two good people not communicating. There may be differences of opinion but you should discuss and take a joint decision. We have to change the system and make India the number one superpower,” Gadkari said.

“I have noticed that the leaders I considered big are actually too ordinary and those I considered ordinary were actually big,” he said.

To prove his point he gave the example of a woman worker who dedicatedly worked for the party despite being denied an election candidature.

“She taught others that one should work for the party though a particular decision may go against you. Most leaders are interested in getting their photos published,” Gadkari said.

He maintained that the BJP needs the right combination of mass and class leadership and asked the ministers present at the conclave to focus on the politics of fast-tracked development.

In his key note address Modi said that good governance should go beyond transparency to achieve openness in public participation. “Transparency will reduce corruption. Transparency is the right to information while openness is the right to participation,” he said.