Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s remarks that the “next generation must be given a chance” triggered speculation about a possible political transition, prompting his office Tuesday to say his comments at an event in Nagpur had been misconstrued.

Speaking at an event in Nagpur Sunday, Gadkari said he had been “continuously working for the last 30 years” but could not “work much more now”. “Work should be handed over to the new generation… the older generation can guide them,” the 69-year-old said.

The remarks were interpreted amid speculation about a possible Union Cabinet reshuffle.

Remarks related to trust

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His office said the remarks “had nothing to do with politics” and were specifically about the Laxmanrao Mankar Trust, which runs Ekal Vidyalayas in tribal areas.

“In that context, Gadkari said that he could no longer take on as much work as before and that the younger generation should be given an opportunity to take greater responsibility,” the statement said.

“His remarks were clearly related to the functioning and future leadership of the Trust. However, some television channels are presenting the statement as a political remark, taking it out of its actual context.”

Changes in BJP, Gen Z protests

The remarks also came days after the BJP changed its national office-bearer team, with Smriti Irani returning as general secretary and Ram Madhav as vice president.

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The continuing speculation of a Union Cabinet reshuffle has been fuelled in part by the party’s rapid pivot towards Gen Z voters.

That pivot, many have argued, was hastened after the party was caught off-guard by a tidal wave of student anger over corruption in the public examination system and the horrific condition of state-run schools. The Cockroach Janta Party channelled that anger in the July 20 protests in Delhi against the alleged NEET exam paper leak.

The mixing of ethanol in petrol had also become a major controversy. Among the senior-most members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet, Gadkari has been linked to the push to adopt ethanol-blended fuel. That association has led Nagpur MP Gadkari to face criticism from citizens and activists who say the ethanol-petrol blend damages vehicle engines.

The Opposition has also targeted Gadkari on this issue.

In July, the Bombay High Court said Gadkari could file civil suits against Meta, X, and Google for allegedly defamatory AI-generated deepfake videos and manipulated digital content linked to the ethanol-petrol controversy. The court also told the platforms to take down all such content.