05 July,2026 02:39 PM IST | Nagpur | mid-day online correspondent
Nitin Gadkari. File Pic
Union minister Nitin Gadkari has said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not against any community and wants to work by taking along people from all religions, castes and sections of society.
Speaking at the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee lecture series in Nagpur on Saturday, Gadkari said the ideas of Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee remain relevant and the BJP must continue to move ahead with those principles.
He said India should aim to become a global leader by uniting people from all religions through national ideals. Gadkari said the country belongs to all Indians and should not be seen as belonging to only one community.
Referring to Syama Prasad Mookerjee's contribution, Gadkari said dedication to the country was central to his life and ideology.
"Even today, our (BJP's) defining (ideological) feature is that the nation is supreme; nationalism is our collective faith, devotion and inspiration. Devotion to the nation was also the hallmark of Syama Prasad Mookerjee's life. But the policy adopted by Congress and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was appeasement," he said.
The Union minister alleged that the Congress adopted a policy of appeasement and accused the party of creating misconceptions about the Jana Sangh, the BJP's predecessor.
"Two countries, India and Pakistan, were created. You all know their history after creation. And we are still suffering its consequences," the BJP leader said, referring to Partition.
Gadkari alleged that the Congress encouraged divisions among communities for political gains.
For its votebank politics, Congress embraced appeasement in the name of secularism, the Union minister alleged. He claimed that such policies contributed to divisions based on religion and caste.
"But what we say is that we are all one...in our country someone will go to a mosque, someone to a Buddha Vihar, someone to a gurudwara, and we are all one. We are Indians, our culture, history, and heritage are one. Our modes of worship and prayer are different. And we accept that our Constitution has granted rights to everyone," said Gadkari.
The senior BJP leader said the party believes in equal rights for every citizen and wants to move forward with all communities.
"The BJP is not against any community, the BJP wants to work by taking along all communities, all religions, and all castes. Therefore, the BJP states in its philosophy that this nation belongs equally to the people of every caste, sect, and religion....Everyone should have equal rights," he said.
He further said that good governance and development remain the mission of the party.
Gadkari said the values and principles of Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Deendayal Upadhyaya and Atal Bihari Vajpayee continue to guide the BJP.
He said their ideas form the party's legacy and remain important for its future direction.
(With inputs from PTI)
