Two days after clarifying that his remarks at a function in Pune were being misread by the media as critical of the BJP leadership, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari created another flutter by emphasising the virtues of accountability of leaders at a lecture in New Delhi.

The remarks are being read as an indirect jibe at the party leadership which is yet to react publicly over the recent loss in three State Assembly polls.

Speaking on the issue of accountability at the annual Intelligence Bureau (IB) endowment lecture on Monday, Mr. Gadkari said: “If I am the party president, and my MPs and MLAs are not doing well, then who is responsible? I am.”

The remarks were prefaced by the Minister telling IB officers that he could not speak to them on security issues as that was not his subject.

Mr Gadkari also said it was important to be polite in daily dealings and value human relationships. “You can’t win elections only because you speak well. You might be a vidwan (expert), but people may not vote for you,” he said.

“One who thinks he knows it all is mistaken. There is a difference between confidence and ego. You should be confident but keep ego away,” he added.

Mr. Gadkari also quoted a speech by former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru in the course of his address.