The Week India - July 29, 2018

JULY 29, 2018 • THE WEEK 23

world and raised India’s prestige,
name and respect a lot.

But, now, our relationship with the
US and China seems not good.
In international politics, sometimes
there are happy tidings, and some
other time there is tension. It is part
of the game.

How do you see the BJP faring in
the Lok Sabha elections?
Ten crore people have got gas
cylinders under the Ujjwala Yoja-
na, 25 crore people have Jan-Dhan
accounts, and we have implemented
schemes to bring more land under
irrigation—1.88 crore acres. All this
will pay off.
Not everything can be done to 100
per cent satisfaction. When some
work gets done, people’s expecta-
tions increase. Th e Congress and the
Gandhi family got almost 50 years.
I can confi dently say that what they
could not do in that time, we did in
four and a half years. We have more

to get done, and we will do that, and

take the country forward.

Demonetisation and tardy imple-

mentation of the GST have had an

adverse eff ect.

Because of GST, we have got so much

more revenue; tax chori (fraud) has

reduced. Th is money will be used for

the development of people. Black

money has slowly shut shop. We

SHOW OF

RESPECT

Gadkari says

Bal Thackeray

loved him

a lot

PTI

have control over the stashing away

of money abroad. Demonetisation

made people realise that the parallel

economy will not work.

But, there has been a fresh surge in

deposits in Swiss banks in 2017.

Th at money is on account of our

economy’s growth. It is legal money.

Are you satisfi ed with your work?

I never am. I keep increasing my

target. Th ere is no shortage of funds.

We have awarded works worth 010

lakh crore, but I feel I have to do work

worth 0 25 lakh crore in fi ve years. Th e

Sagarmala [fl agship programme for

port-led development] work alone is

worth 0 16 lakh crore, and Bharatmala

[highway development programme]

has work worth 0 7.5 lakh crore. I feel

this will help employ people, and

make the country progress. Th ese

are my concerns too, not [only] my

family. In fact, no one from my family

has ever asked me for a party ticket. I

am against dynasty [politics].

You have focused hugely on road

safety. Any personal reason?

Th at has been my biggest failure.

Th ere are fi ve lakh accidents [every

year], and 1.5 lakh people get killed.

I had decided that I will save at least

half of them. Th at has not happened.

And, the Motor Vehicles (Amend-

ment) Bill is yet to be passed. Around

20 to 30 per cent of driving licences

are bogus and I am not able to inves-

tigate those. With my eff orts, it has

reduced just by 7 to 8 per cent.

How diffi cult is it to deal with the

bureaucracy?

I have good relations with all. If they

convince me, I go along with them.

If they are wrong, I hold my ground.

Th ey also know that I have no vested

interest. So they cooperate.

Do you have any, even an advisory

role, in the Purti Group?

I have left it completely.

Do you see Chandraba-

bu Naidu and others

returning to the NDA?

Th ere are no permanent

friends and permanent

enemies. I feel that

during the elections

they (the TDP and oth-

ers) will be with us once

again.