wardha after expressing his willingness to contest the 2014 general elections from nagpur on tuesday bjp national president nitin gadkari also seemed to be testing the waters at wardha considered to be safer turf for him addressing a crowd of almost 20000 mostly sugarcane growers attached to the purti group gadkari made a slew of populist announcements at the inaugural function for the crushing season of the companys sugar factory at jamni near wardha gadkari heads the purti group a joint stock company of farmers he announced that the company would soon hit the capital market with an initial public offer ipo the shares now allotted at a face value rs 10 each to farmers may fetch over rs 100 to 120 on the bourses after the listing we may soon issue more shares to sugarcane growers at face value before going public said gadkari as he showcased his business empire to leader of opposition in rajya sabha arun jaitley and himachal pradesh chief minister premkumar dhumal dadarao keche the only bjp mla from this district was among the other speakers and exhorted gadkari to contest elections from wardha instead of nagpur in his usual style of flaunting figures gadkari told farmers he aims to generate a profit of rs 1000 crore from purti group ventures as against the previous years tally of rs 300 crore the entire wealth would go to the farmers since my holding in the company is no more than shares worth a lakh he stressed the sugar factory in wardha was earlier run by a cooperative society that suffered huge losses last year the purti group had also taken over another sugar cooperative in dire straits in bhandara district otherwise known as ncp leader praful patels bastion gadkari also stuck to the secular chord in his speech and repeatedly stressed that poverty spares no religion or caste flaying the congress government for failing to improve the condition of farmers he highlighted schemes implemented by his group sugarcane cultivators in the wardha factorys cultivation areas have been offered solaroperated pumps otherwise available for rs 268 to rs 3 lakh at half the price gadkari also announced that the group would bear a part of the expenses incurred by cotton growers of the area slamming the upa government for discontinuing the policy on ethanolbased fuel he said the purti group is in talks with ford and general motors to buy ethanolrun vehicles if developed by these companies ethanol is made from baggase a byproduct for sugar factories which is currently being used to make liquor after the government stopped its use in auto fuel he said the group also has a baggaserun power plant at bela in umred it is in talks with nagpurbased government research organization neeri to make biodiesel talks are also underway with ashok leyland to buy 1000 cngrun buses which will be given to local farmers on loan to provide them selfemployment said gadkari curiously even as he spoke about huge profits gadkari