'Not in race for PM post; pure RSS man with conviction'

Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday said he is not in the race for the post of Prime Minister and termed himself as a "pure RSS" man for whom the nation is supreme.

Gadkari, who laid foundation stone for a road project here to decongest national capital, told reporters that BJP would get an absolute majority in the upcoming elections and the country would go ahead on the path of development under Prime Minister Narendra Modi while we are standing behind him.

"I have nothing to do with it. I am not in the race. Modi ji is the PM and will become Prime Minister again. I am from RSS (Mai RSS wala hun). Our mission is to work for the nation. country is progressing in terms of development and growth under Modiji's leadership. We are standing behind him. Where does the question arise of my becoming the PM," he said.

To a question on speculations that in case of a fractured mandate, Gadkari would be the BJP's consensus Prime Minister candidate, the minister said it is like "Mungeri Lal Ke Haseen Sapne" (daydreaming).

He said he spoke whatever he felt from within and added "Neither I dream it, nor there is any liaisoning, nor any PR."

He also said that "I have a bad habit ... I tell before 10 lakh Muslims that I am a pure RSS man vote me if you want otherwise do not regret. I have the conviction to say this. I am not a calculated politician. I am a good BJP worker. Country is supreme for me, " Gadkari said.

Asked whether he believed in "Congress mukta Bharat", he said the ideologies of both the parties are different and "we are not enemies of each other. Difference of opinion can be there... It is our tradition. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Jawaharlal Nehru and even Modiji welcomes the opposition party."