In a compelling address at the Goa BJP executive meeting near Panaji, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari emphasized the importance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) maintaining its distinctive identity and learning from the past mistakes of the Congress. The meeting, attended by the party?s state unit chief Sadanand Tanavade and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, among others, served as a crucial platform for Mr. Gadkari to reiterate the party's foundational principles and strategic direction.

"The BJP has been a party with a difference and that is why it has repeatedly won the trust of voters," declared Mr. Gadkari. However, he cautioned, "If we continue doing what the Congress used to do, there is no use of their exit and our entry." These comments came more than a month after the BJP failed to secure a majority of its own in the Lok Sabha polls, highlighting a critical introspection moment for the party.

Reflecting on the party's legacy, Mr. Gadkari recalled his mentor and former deputy Prime Minister LK Advani?s assertion that the "BJP is a party with a difference." He emphasized, "Advani ji used to say that we are a party with a difference. We have to understand how different we are from the other parties."

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The Nagpur MP pointed out that voters had chosen the BJP in response to the Congress' failures and warned his party against repeating those same errors. "If we commit the same mistakes, there is no use in their exit and our entry," he stressed. Mr. Gadkari further urged, "In the days to come, party cadres should know that politics is an instrument for bringing social and economic reforms."

Addressing corruption, Mr. Gadkari underscored the necessity for a robust plan to eliminate it, stating, "We have to create a corruption-free country and for that, we should have a plan in place."

Touching on regional politics, particularly in Maharashtra, Mr. Gadkari criticized the prevalent caste-based politics. "I have decided not to follow this trend. I have told people that I will not indulge in caste politics. Jo karega jaat ki baat, usko padegi kaske laath (ones speaking about castes will be kicked out of power)," he declared. He maintained that a person's values, not their caste, should define their identity.