Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari clarified on Tuesday that his recent comments regarding a generational shift have been misinterpreted. His office stated that there are no political implications behind his remarks, emphasizing that they have been taken out of context.
“I have seen many ups and downs, received honours, and fulfilled various responsibilities. But I cannot work as hard as I used to. Work must be handed over to the new generation, while the older generation acts as a guiding hand,” the 69-year-old minister said at an event in Nagpur on Sunday, while reflecting on 30 years of active public service.
The comments came amid persistent murmurs of an impending Union Cabinet reshuffle in New Delhi. Gadkari, currently serving his third consecutive term as Union transport minister, has also been facing public and political pushback over the government’s ethanol-blended petrol policies. In an official clarification, his office maintained that his words were taken entirely out of context by sections of the media and had nothing to do with politics. To be sure, the backdrop to his statements was a change-of-guard ceremony for the trust with a new team led by incoming president Atul Shirodkar assuming office.
It said he was speaking specifically about the Laxmanrao Mankar Trust, an organisation established by him that runs schools in tribal areas. “In that context, Gadkari said that he could no longer take on as much work as before and that the younger generation should be given an opportunity to take greater responsibility. His remarks were clearly related to the functioning and future leadership of the Trust,” his office said.
