Jalandhar: BJP President Nitin Gadkari Sunday
appealed to the "right thinking" people to join politics to
address the issues confronting the country.
"People being killed by terrorists, farmers committing
suicides, and rising unemployment should be the reasons enough
for the right thinking people to enter politics as good
governance and right policies can solve these issues," Gadkari
said during a function organised by the Hind Samachar Group of
newspapers here to distribute relief to terror-hit families.
"Our political theories and principles are correct but
there is a gap between the claims and deeds," he said.
Criticising caste-based politics, Gadkari said "we not
only need social equality but also political and economic
equality".
As BJP leaders Navjot Sidhu, Chaman Lal Gupta and P K
Dhumal criticised any move to rehabilitate the terrorists,
Gadkari said terrorism could be fought with determination and
clear policy only.
"To what extent can we go for populist politics... there
should be some limit to it," he said referring to the delay in
carrying out the death sentence awarded to Parliament attack
convict Afzal Guru by the Supreme Court.
Appeasement should not happen at least in terror-related
cases, Gadkari said.
Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal termed
corruption, poverty and anti-national elements within the
country as real enemies and not the neighbouring countries.
Advocating "bullet for bullet" policy to tackle
terrorism, Bitta criticised any move to resume bilateral talk
with Pakistan unless it stops cross border terrorism.
BJP national secretary Smriti Irani and Rajya Sabha MP
Balbir Punj were among those present on the occasion.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, March 21, 2010, 21:07