Those Doing Good Work Never Respected, Says Gadkari Without Dropping Names

Without dropping names, Union Minister and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said that those who do good work are never respected and those who do bad work are never punished.

Speaking at an event organised by Lokmat media group in Delhi, Nitin Gadkari the number of leaders who stand firm in their ideology is gradually declining, adding that deterioration in ideology" was not good for democracy.

"I always say this jokingly that no matter which party's government it is, one thing is sure that the one who does good work never gets respect and those who do bad work are never punished," Gadkari said, without taking names.

"In our debates and discussion, differences of opinion is not our problem. Our problem is lack of ideas,” the Minister for Road Transport & Highways said.

"There are people who stand firm with conviction based on their ideology but the number of such people is declining. And deterioration in ideology, which is happening, is not good for democracy," news agency PTI quoted him as saying.

Nitin Gadkari said "all want to remain associated with the ruling party."

"Neither rightist nor leftist, we are known opportunists, some people write like this. And all want to remain associated with the ruling party," he said.

Gadkari said politicians come and go but it is the work they have done for the people of their respective constituencies that eventually matters and brings them respect.

"Publicity and popularity is necessary but how they work for the people in their respective constituencies is more important than what they speak in Parliament,” Gadkari said.

Nitin Gadkari also praised leaders of other parties, saying that he has lot a learnt from them. He praised RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav's oratory and said he has also learnt a lot from former defence minister George Fernandes' "behaviour, simplicity and personality."

"After Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the person I was impressed with a lot was George Fernandes," Gadkari said.

Gadkari also praised former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur, who was recently conferred the Bharat Ratna posthumously, and said such people have made the country's democracy strong.

"After stepping down as chief minister, he [Thakur] travelled in an auto-rickshaw and his condition was very ordinary," he said and suggested that political leaders should take inspiration from such people.