Nitin Gadkari is a familiar political face across the country. Kicking off his career from Nagpur, also the headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, he’s a frontline leader and a star performer minister—the allegations of corruption notwithstanding. In the 2014 elections, Gadkari won from his Nagpur seat, and he’s currently seeking re-election. The 2019 battle pits him directly against Nana Patole, a former Bharatiya Janata Party leader who is now with the Congress.  

Newslaundry went to Nagpur to examine Gadkari’s career in the context of the city of his birth. What we found is a surplus of young voters who like him, but also a large section of the RSS in Nagpur who is unhappy with him, though Gadkari still enjoys the full support of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.   

On the city’s streets, everyone knows where Gadkari Wada is located. Tucked away in Upadhye Road in Mahal area of east Nagpur, this is home to the Gadkari family, though they shifted to a bungalow in Ramnagar last year since renovations are on. Passersby might struggle to find the address of Nagpur’s royal Bhosale family—after whom this area is named—but everyone knows Gadkari Wada.

Nitin Gadkari started as a student leader at Nagpur’s CP Berar College and later joined the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. In 1979-80, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha. This was a stepping stone to enter the legislative council as a BJP member from Nagpur’s graduate constituency, which was a BJP stronghold, in 1988 after the death of renowned BJP leader Gangadhar Fadnavis, father of incumbent CM Devendra Fadnavis. When the BJP and the Shiv Sena formed the government in 1995, Gadkari became Maharashtra’s PWD minister.

The stars were aligned and Gadkari’s political clout was on the rise. He went on to head the Maharashtra chapter of the BJP, became the party’s national president, and then a Union minister. If political analysts are to be believed, Gadkari now enjoys a reputation in the BJP that is second only to the Modi-Shah duo.

In the current Lok Sabha contest, most people seem to consider Gadkari’s opponent Nana Patole an “outsider” while Gadkari is “one of them”. Patole won the last Lok Sabha election on a BJP ticket from the Bhandara-Gondia seat. However, he resigned in 2017, saying the central and state governments were doing nothing to address the issues of farmers.

Nagpur has nearly 18 lakh voters. About 10 lakh constitute Kunbis, Telis, Halbas, Dalits and Muslims. The Kunbi community has the largest share of votes. Patole himself is a Kunbi and the Congress is trying very hard to encash on this. Yet both parties surprisingly have supporters and party workers that cut across caste lines.

But what do Nagpur’s voters think?

Gadkari’s acche din

Next to Gadkari Wada, 48-year-old Balwant Khemchandra runs a small shop. In his opinion, Gadkari is very hard-working. “I’ve seen his work. He addresses people’s issues even while eating in his car. His work as a minister is commendable.” Nearby, 43-year-old Yunus runs a spare parts shop while moonlighting as a part-time realtor. He says, “I voted for the BJP last time. I hoped they will do something for the poor. However, this government has made rules which benefit the rich more. Small businessmen like us have got little from this government.”

He adds: “Gadkariji has done a lot for many people and nothing for others. But still, the BJP does some work unlike the Congress, which does nothing for anyone.”

In the city’s Budhvar Bazar, 50-year-old Rajendra Mohor says, “While Gadkari lived here till last year, there used to be a Janata Durbar here every Sunday. He is a nice man and always helps people. He doesn’t believe in caste and respects everyone. Whether Kunbi or Halba or Dalit—everyone votes for him and will vote this year too.”

Mohor waxes eloquent in his praise for Gadkari. “He tries to complete every work soon, whether metro or any other development work. He won the last elections by 2.85 lakh votes but this time he will win by over five lakh votes.” Betel shop owner Ajay Chaurasia says, “Gadkariji has fulfilled only half his promises. However,” he points to the road outside the market, “this was not there during the Congress regime. At least a road is there now.”   

Bhagwan Balwani, a cloth merchant in East Nagpur, says, “Overall we are happy with Gadkari’s work. He has worked not only for Nagpur but for all India. Many people complain about GST and demonetisation but such businessmen are mostly corrupt. Be it roads, the metro, or bridges in the city—he tries very hard to complete all works.”

However, auto rickshaw driver Syyad Salim is unhappy about the aftermath of demonetisation. “People like us had to stand in [the ATM] queue because of this government. While we were standing in the queue, Gadkariji was spending ₹10 crore on his son’s wedding. He promised to clean Nag River (after which Nagpur is named), but the river is still unclean.”

Bharat Thakur, who runs a tea shop at Upadhye road, says: “Gadkari has come to our shop many times. He helps everyone who goes to him with a problem. Today, he is praised not only in Nagpur but all over the country.” In Ramkular Chowk, paan shop owner Siddharth Shinde says: “I don’t know much about politics but according to whatever I’ve heard and seen, Gadkari’s work is good.”

The praise for Gadkari’s “development work” is oft-repeated. Nagpur-based senior surgeon Bhavesh Barde says, “Gadkari has done much development work in Nagpur. Through his ministry, he looks after road construction and also fulfils other responsibilities. He tries to complete his work within the stipulated time. The metro in Nagpur is his big contribution. Apart from that, he has been on the forefront to improve the city’s infrastructure. Undoubtedly his work is commendable.”  

Dr Barde says people will also vote for Gadkari because they want to see Modi as prime minister. He says people don’t like Congress leaders because they did not do any development work.

Vijay Pandey, a private firm executive, says, “The fight between Gadkari and Patole will be interesting but the former will win. He has worked for the development of the city. He always tries to bring new industry to Nagpur to create more jobs. Whether it’s MIDC or the improvement of MIHAN [Multi-modal International Hub Airport at Nagpur], he has tried his best to do that. Nagpur people don’t even know Patole well.”

Rajneesh Shivhare, a businessman dealing in construction work, says, “I’m sure that Gadkari will win the elections in Nagpur, and he will win by a margin of five lakh votes. He is going to win because of his development work. He has brought AIIMS, Institute of Management Technology, the cancer hospital, metro, cement roads and lots of other projects—these projects were never in Nagpur before. Caste politics will not work against the development done by Gadkari.”

Not a real Swayamsevak

Despite this wealth of praise, a large section of people who claim to be close to Gadkari aren’t happy with him. Several RSS members believe he’s done what a “Swayamsevak will never do”. One of them is Munna Mahajan, who was with Gadkari in the RSS and knows him personally. He says: “Gadkari is a good orator but he lacks moral values. He knows how to use and throw people. He works but he also tricks people with false promises.” Mahajan, who was Gadkari’s classmate at Dadasaheb Dhanwate School, has served at high posts in the RSS, BJYM and BJP.

Mahajan says, “I was introduced to Gadkari while working in Sangh. And I helped him as much as I could as a fellow Swayamsevak. We worked together in the BJP too. He used to travel in my jeep and worked for the party. But slowly he got used to a politics that was inspired by the Congress, not the RSS.”

A similar story is told by Diwakar Bhutekar, Gadkari’s childhood friend and former neighbour. “I feel ashamed to call Gadkari a Swayamsevak. His mother, Bhanutai Gadkari, was the chief of the Rashtrasevika Samiti and that’s why Nitin got big exposure in the Sangh. She was a very nice woman and because of her, Nitin became what he is today.”

Bhutekar says: “After Gangadhar Fadnavis’s death in 1988, Nitin became an MLC from the Graduate constituency in 1989. At that time he used to run a business with his partner Kewal Ramani at his shop, Neelam Furniture at Jhansi Rani Chowk. He was a decent person then. In the 1995 Assembly elections, Bhola Badhel, Vinod Garde Patil and Ashok Wadibhasme became BJP MLAs from Nagpur. But ignoring all the three, Pramod Mahajan made Gadkari a minister despite the latter being only an MLC. It led to a lot of trouble: ignoring MLAs, an MLC is made a minister. Gadkari changed after getting the ministry and became a political businessman.”  

Bhutekar says Gadkari became “threatened” by his old aides. “He used his influence to finish their political careers. He did not even spare his personal secretary Prabhakar Rao. He did not help Rao’s family after his death. The RSS doesn’t teach any Swayamsevak such behaviour.”

Bhutekar believes Mohan Bhagwat turned the Sangh into a “commercial institution” after he became chief. “He has mixed the RSS with the BJP. It wasn’t the case with Guruji, Deorasji, Rajju Bhaiyya or Sudarshanji. Guruji had said that everyone born in India has a Hindu identity, it doesn’t matter whether he or she is Hindu, Muslim or Christian by religion. But what they say today is that Muslims and Christians are our enemies. The Sangh never had such thinking. And now we’re asked to help Gadkari win elections.”

He said that Gadkari promised a separate Vidarbha state in 2014 but he “cheated people”.

Ramesh Shiledar agrees. Shiledar was an RSS pracharak in Assam for 25 years and his father Triyambak Shiledar was a compatriot of RSS founder KB Hedgewar. He thinks the RSS is becoming like the BJP. “During the Vijayadashami address, Mohan Bhagwat speaks about government schemes like Jan Dhan or Mudra. No Sarsanghchalak has done this before. Recently on April 4, at an event to mark the birth anniversary of Hedgewarji at Reshmi Baug, Manmohan Vaidya was saying that this election is a fight between two ideologies and we should support the ideology that is rooted in India. Such talks never happened in the RSS before. The BJP is the political arm of the Sangh, not vice versa. Earlier the BJP used to criticise Congress culture, but now it’s painted in the same colour.”

Vishwas Indurkar, a journalist whose father was a pracharak in Lahore and is someone who’s been attached to the RSS since childhood, says, “Many in the RSS are with Gadkari and many are opposed to him. He knows how to trick people. However, even those who are opposing will vote for Gadkari. It can be said that the BJP is now a B-team of the Congress.”    

Similarly, there’s Bhagwandas Rathi, who has spent a lifetime in the Jan Sangh and the RSS. He says, “Gadkari is only an ostensible Swayamsevak. He’s actually a businessman. He promises development but never keeps them. He has given birth to politics which is totally opposed to the ideals of the Sangh.”