'He changed history', Cong minister's praise for Gadkari on development of roads

Bengaluru, Feb 22: Contrary to recent criticism of the Central government by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over "injustice" to his state, PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi on Thursday praised Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari for his contribution to the state in terms development of roads.

"Since Nitin Gadkari took over as the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, he has managed to change history. He has put in honest efforts and succeeded in them. Shivamogga BJP MP B.Y. Raghavendra mentioned that 1 lakh km of roads were laid until the BJP came to power, and in the last 10 years, 1 lakh km of roads have been laid in the country. It is true. For this reason, we have special love and respect towards Nitin Gadkari.

"He has risen above party lines and dedicatedly works towards the country and state's development. For this reason, I love and respect him. There will be a lot of confrontations between the Central and state governments when power changes. But during his entire tenure, there has been no room for confrontation. There is a need for such leaders. I have met him five times in the last nine months. He has taken up and given consent to the projects which were pending for 12 years," Jarkiholi said.

The Karnataka PWD Minister further said: "This is a special day for Karnataka. In Belagavi, about Rs 7,000 crore worth of works were dedicated. In the south Karnataka region, Rs 6,200 crore worth of projects were dedicated. This is a day that should be written in golden letters in the history of Karnataka state."

Jarkiholi further said: "For development of any region, the development of roads is important. Wherever roads are developed, industries and academic activities flourish."