NCP chief Sharad Pawar today praised Union minister Nitin Gadkari saying he has cordial relations with leaders across parties."Gadkari is the first BJP leader, having a RSS background, to come outside its ideology and maintain good, cordial relations with political parties and politicians across the country," he said.

The Maratha strongman was speaking at the public felicitation programme to mark Mr Gadkari's 61st birthday Nagpur in presence of former Union Home minister Sushilkumar Shinde.

"In my 50 years of political career, I hardly saw leaders from the RSS background speak beyond their ideology. Their relations and insight were limited to their ideology and their circle," the former Union Minister said.

However, he said, Mr Gadkari is the person who has maintained very good relations across the political parties.

"He may have a different political ideology but for development of common man, Maharashtra and the country as whole he has looked beyond and kept very good relations with all the parties," added Mr Pawar.

Union ministers Hansraj Ahir, Vijay Goel, chief ministers Devendra Fadnavis, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Raman Singh, senior NCP leader Praful Patel, Congress leader Narayan Rane and Maharashtra minister Subhash Desai were present for the ceremony.