Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Tuesday suggested that Nitin Gadkari should be given the top job and that he is underutilised in the NDA government.
Gadkari recently said that a political leader from the opposition offered to support him if he entered the race for the Prime Minister's post.
When asked who made this offer to Gadkari, Chavan, while speaking at India Today Conclave Mumbai, said: "I didn't give it to him. I don't know who from the party...which party gave it to him. But I think why not if he's an efficient minister? He's been underutilised."
When asked whether he was giving an offer, he said: "I Can't. Who am I to give an offer? I have read in today's that he's now going to be the boss of the BJP alliance...I don't know whether that's true or not. He wants to go to Delhi, not come back to Maharashtra. He is an efficient minister although the entire NHAI is in a mess."
Earlier this month, Gadkari opened up the offer for the prime minister's post but said he declined the offer stating he did not nurse such an ambition. "I remember one incident -- I would not name anyone -- that person said 'if you are going to become prime minister, we will support you'," Gadkari said while speaking at a function in Maharashtra's Nagpur.
"But, I asked why you should support me, and why should I take your support? To become the prime minister is not the aim in my life. I am loyal to my conviction and my organisation, and I am not going to compromise for any post because my conviction is foremost for me," the union minister said.
Speaking at the Conclave, Prithviraj Chavan spoke on a range of issues such as the chief ministerial face in Maharashtra, the Ladki Behan scheme, and a caste survey.
On the chief ministerial candidate, Chavan said that it is a time-honoured tradition that the single largest party gets to decide the next chief minister. He said this is done to ensure stability. The Congress is part of the MVA alliance, which comprises Sharad Pawar's NCP and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena. The Shiv Sena (UBT) wants an early declaration of the chief ministerial face, but facing push-backs from Congress and NCP.