The head of a government organisation in Maharashtra has written to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, demanding that Union minister Nitin Gadkari be allowed to lead the Bharatiya Janata Party if it wants to win the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, reported The Indian Express on Tuesday. Gadkari is also “adequately qualified” for the post of prime minister, wrote Kishore Tiwari, the chairperson of Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swavalamban Mission.

Tiwari is a prominent farmer leader and has ministerial status in the state. In his letter to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and General Secretary Bhaiyyaji Suresh Joshi, he said the BJP’s defeat in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh was a result of “arrogant leaders” who had implemented demonetisation, Goods and Services Tax, and increased fuel prices, according to IANS.

Tiwari said considering the “dictatorial approach” of the party’s central leadership, it needs an inclusive and moderate person to usher in real development.

“Leaders who pursue an extremist and dictatorial attitude in the party and government are dangerous for the society and the country,” Tiwari said in the letter. “This has been witnessed before and if history is not to be repeated, hand over the reins to [Nitin] Gadkari for the 2019 polls.”

Tiwari’s letter came on a day when Modi was in Maharashtra to unveil infrastructure and housing projects worth Rs 41,000 crore. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat refused to comment on the letter when asked about it in Pune.