SHARING a stage with NCP (SP) State president Jayant Patil in Sangli today, Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said that the event should not be given a political colour.
”Today’s event is not a political one. Jayant Patil and I are good friends. Our political ideologies are different but there is no discord between us,” Patil said at the inauguration of the students hostel and gym of the Rajarambapu Institute in Islampur on Monday.
Gadkari said whenever he visits Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara, he gets to learn new things. ”Several people from these areas have made significant contributions in the field of cooperative movement, education and agriculture. People think I know a lot about engineering. But that is not true…The Peth-Sangli Road was in bad shape for three-four years. I had drawn criticism over the state of the road. But now the road work has been completed 80 per cent. The quality of work has also improved,” he said.
Gadkari said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi dreams of making India ‘atmanirbhar’ (self-reliant). ”India is the only country in the world which has a large number of youths. If India has to progress, then we will have to ensure that rural areas also develop alongside the urban areas. Without this, India cannot become amtanirbhar.