We are all bright stars in our govt, but PM is brightest: Nitin Gadkari

How do you rate the BJP government’s performance over the last three years?

Under the leadership of Narendra Modi, we have done double the amount of work of what had been done by the Congress government in three years. We are the fastest growing economy in the world. Our revenue was Rs 13 lakh crore when our government came to power and after three years, our revenue has reached nearly Rs 20 lakh crore. With measures like demonetization and GST, our revenue receipt will go up anywhere between Rs 28 lakh crore and Rs 30 lakh crore. Our budget will double.

What has been your biggest challenge in the last three years?

In the last 10 years, wrong economic policies, bad and corrupt governance, and visionless and indecisive leadership had paralysed the entire system. Modiji accepted the challenge and infused life in the system. The changes are now evident. Desh badal raha hai. And I believe, any change will not make people 100 per cent happy. Not matter how much good days are in the offing, people want better days.

What challenges do you see in the coming years?

I think we should now reach out for a double-digit growth rate. Agricultural growth rate should be above 15 per cent and per capita income should be doubled. By 2022, farmers’ income should be doubled. These are our big challenges. We are trying to do that through different schemes like Fasal Bima Yojna and Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojna, and I am hopeful that we will get the results soon.

Do you think a united opposition can pose a challenge in 2019?

Opposition parties which never saw each others’ faces before this are coming together. This indicates that we are getting stronger.

The opposition had called you a bright star in a dark sky. How do you react to that?

(Laughs) Our government is bright. We are all bright stars and our Prime Minister is the super bright star.