Nitin Gadkari is an outlier in Narendra Modi’s cabinet—a minister who has retained his autonomy, is getting work done, and is being noticed for it. The two have a turbulent history, at the centre of which lies the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Gadkari, despite facing copious allegations of malfeasance, is the RSS’s favourite son, while Modi has long chafed at the organisation’s efforts to control him. The result is a subterranean rivalry playing out in the RSS, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the government. In Nagpur, the RSS’s home, the accepted truth is that if the RSS decided to replace Modi as the prime minister for any reason, it would choose Gadkari to take his place. The Caravan -India's finest magazine of politics, culture and business. Since its relaunch in 2010, The Caravan has earned a reputation as one of South Asia's most sophisticated publications, a showcase of the region's finest writers, with a distinctive blend of masterful reporting, unique criticism and stunning photo essays.
Nitin Gadkari is an outlier in Narendra Modi’s cabinet—a minister who has retained his autonomy, is getting work done, and is being noticed for it. The two have a turbulent history, at the centre of which lies the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Gadkari, despite facing copious allegations of malfeasance, is the RSS’s favourite son, while Modi has long chafed at the organisation’s efforts to control him. The result is a subterranean rivalry playing out in the RSS, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the government. In Nagpur, the RSS’s home, the accepted truth is that if the RSS decided to replace Modi as the prime minister for any reason, it would choose Gadkari to take his place. The Caravan -India's finest magazine of politics, culture and business. Since its relaunch in 2010, The Caravan has earned a reputation as one of South Asia's most sophisticated publications, a showcase of the region's finest writers, with a distinctive blend of masterful reporting, unique criticism and stunning photo essays.