BJP president Nitin Gadkari has said that he would be personally happy if Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan agreed to join BJP, but at the moment, he says, he would not like to politicize the issue.
Grilled by Rajat Sharma on India TV's longest running talk show Aap Ki Adalat, the BJP chief revealed, as a student he watched the film Anand 12 times. “In my college days, I used to go and watch Bachchan's Deewar, Zanjeer and other films because I liked these action-packed movies. We are proud of this great icon and a great actor…. Is Amitabh Bachchan a Dawood Ibrahim that if the chief minister sits with him at a function, the order goes out to him to avoid Bachchan?”
Gadkari commented: “I have already said, if you want the Maharashtra chief minister to run away from the Assembly, just bring Bachchan to the visitors gallery. What type of democracy is this?”
Pressed by Rajat Sharma whether BJP is trying to woo Amitabh, Gadkari said: “Agar Amitabh Bachchan hamare saath aate hain, toh mujhe aanand hoga. Main is vishay ka rajnitikaran nahin karna chahta” (If Amitabh Bachchan agrees to come with us, I would be happy. But I will not politicize the issue).
The BJP chief listed out the reasons why he selected Hema Malini, Smriti Irani and Navjot Singh Sidhu as party office-bearers.
“Sidhu is very popular among the youths. I have asked him to go to the universities and organize the youths. Hema Malini is a great actress, no doubt, but I find her so much disciplined that she can address four public meetings in a row without quibbling. Smriti Irani is a good serial actor, but I find in her political awareness (rajnitik samajh) on issues ranging from inflation to national security. Shatrughan Sinha met me recently. He is in our national executive . I am going to give him a very important task soon”, said Gadkari.
Grilled on why BJP formed a coalition government with Shibu Soren, who had a corrupt image in Jharkhand, Gadkari said this was to prevent the Congress from breaking away the MLAs. “There is difference between strategy and conviction. There are no permanent friends and no permanent enemies in politics”.
Gadkari strongly defended Narendra Modi on the Gujarat riots issue. “Will any chief minister order his police to kill a particular community? There were bigger communal riots in Mumbai in 1992 and the then chief minister Sudhakar Naik was removed. Did the Congress target him like it is targeting Modi? Fake encounters took place in UP, even recently there were riots in Bareilly, but did the Congress ask Mayawati to resign? The only motive of Congress is to defame BJP”.
The BJP chief claimed that the per capita income of Muslims in Gujarat during Modi's rule has risen significantly and only a section of media and some politicians are targeting Modi. He promised the Muslim community of a better deal if BJP was returned to power at the centre. Gadkari also revealed that he would contest the next Lok Sabha elections.
Gadkari lashed out at the Congress saying that even Manmohan Singh and Pranab Mukherjee can never dream of becoming Congress president. “That seat has already been booked by the Gandhi family”.
When Rajat Sharma pointed out that the contribution of Gandhi family to Congress was significant, and if Atal Bihari Vajpayee could be BJP's leader for a long time, then why not Sonia Gandhi, Gadkari quipped “Is only a single family capable in Congress party? Gandhi family has made sacrifices, no doubt, but does the Congress party have inner democracy? Do they conduct elections?”
