Gadkari, known for maintaining a low profile, said he would serve BJP honestly and would not "do anything that would make senior leaders hang their heads in shame".
Newly appointed BJP president Nitin Gadkari today made right noises, giving due credit to the RSS while sending across a message to the party that he believed all challenges faced by it can be taken care of with a strong will and a practical approach.
"When there is a strong political will, all problems can be solved," he said, when asked how he planned to deal with the crises in the party.
Gadkari, known for maintaining a low, no non-sense profile and a pragmatic outlook, said he would serve the party honestly and would not "do anything that would make senior leaders hang their heads in shame".
"I don't make false promises," he said.
To emphasise that he believed in action and achieving what appeared near impossible, the former Maharashtra PWD minister said he had built the Mumbai-Pune Expressway in just two years and at a cost of Rs2,000 crore.
When he was handed over the baton by Rajnath Singh, Gadkari said he expected Advani and other senior leaders to support him.
Though it remains to be seen whether Gadkari would have his way by building a consensus and taking everybody along - a hope held by RSS when it named him Rajnath's successor - he did show some astuteness when he asked Advani to bless him. The Advani camp has opposed the growing interference of RSS in BJP affairs and was initially against Gadkari. Gadkari indicated that he planned to adopt a hands-on approach in dealing with problems when he said, "If there is a will there is a way. And if there is no will, then there are surveys, committees, sub-committees, and discussions."
He asserted that he had gone through several difficult phases as a minister and was used to overcoming challenges.
Gadkari, who was Maharashtra unit chief till now, also emphasised on his humble beginnings and thanked RSS and BJP for the rise his political career had seen over the last three decades.
"I started as a small-time worker of the party during the emergency when I used to paste party posters and write slogans on the wall," Gadkari said.
The new president also insisted that there would be no dilution in BJP ideology under his leadership, saying he believed in nationalist thinking. RSS leaders feel failure to take a firm stand on Hindutva was one of the reasons for BJP's defeat.
Both the Rajnath and Advani camps have welcomed him. Though both groups feel they can manipulate Gadkari to their way of thinking, it is easier said than done. RSS sources insist they will ensure he is not lost in the Delhi maze.
Gadkari himself tried to convey that he was not a part of the Delhi coterie which was engaged in the internecine war when he said he had never seen the night in Delhi — never had a overnight stay in the capital — in the last five years.
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