Worshipping the son is Congress culture not ours: BJP

Bharatiya Janata Party chief Nitin Gadkari on Thursday asked his partymen to give up the "culture of paying obeisance" like touching feet of leaders and "nurturing of personal ambitions at the cost of party", as he pushed for a image makeover with an eye on next general elections.

"Stop touching the feet of the younger leaders. This is a sign of helplessness.... Stop this drama of protocol... Worshipping the rising son is a culture of the Congress. If you deserve something, you will definitely get it," Gadkari said addressing the BJP National Council in Surajkund, Haryana.

While warning partymen against engaging in sycophancy to advance their careers, he said that "this maybe a practice in a ma-beta (mother-son) party," in an apparent dig at the Congress.

He insisted that BJP is not a "proprietary concern or a wholesale party".

Instead, Gadkari told his party cadre to get ready to overthrow the Congress-led government and prepare for a change of role from a "party of opposition to a party delivering good governance".

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"Our party has a specialisation in being a very good opposition party. We have worked for a long time holding protests and demonstrations. But now we have to leave this and become a party of good economic governance. People are looking at us with lots of expectations," Gadkari said.

He attacked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for going into "silent mode" and pushing the country towards a policy paralysis.

"Let us throw this government out. We will go from here with this pledge," he told partymen, asking them to work towards this goal.

The BJP chief warned his party members not to nurture their personal ambitions.

"It is natural for one in politics to have expectations and ambitions. But keep them aside and work for changing the society. Don't bother about who is occupying which office in the party and who is being felicitated with a bigger garland. Leave this practice."

Gadkari promised that if voted to power NDA will form the state of Telangana without any delay and also ensure social harmony, including in the north-east and Assam.