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Move to project Rahul as next PM gathers pace

The demand to project Congress party general secretary Rahul Gandhi as the ruling coalition's prime ministerial candidate for the next general elections has gathered momentum.

  • By Ajay Jha, Chief Correspondent
  • Published: 23:58 April 14, 2008
  • Gulf News

New Delhi: The demand to project Congress party general secretary Rahul Gandhi as the ruling coalition's prime ministerial candidate for the next general elections has gathered momentum.

Federal Minister Arjun Singh, a known loyalist of the Gandhi-Nehru family, has joined the bandwagon of those wanting to see Rahul being elevated to the top post in the country by saying he has all the qualities of his father.

Rahul, a first time member of Parliament, is son of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and the incumbent party president Sonia Gandhi.

"He [Rahul] has all the qualities of his father. He is making sincere efforts in acquiring the information and knowledge that is required [for the post]," Arjun Singh said yesterday.

Incidentally, the young Gandhi had declined a ministerial berth during April 6 cabinet reshuffle undertaken by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying he wanted to work for the party. Arjun Singh came out in support of Rahul Gandhi after ally Nationalist Congress Party cleared the misgivings that it was trying to block a Gandhi becoming the next prime minister.

Confusion cleared

NCP general secretary Praful Patel, who is also the federal Minister for Civil Aviation, had cleared the confusion by formally stating in a television interview that his party would support the young leader like it had supported his mother Sonia.

Sonia sprang a surprise in May 2004 by declining the prime minister's post after being invited by the then President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to form the government and instead nominated Manmohan Singh for the post.

NCP had earlier demanded the Congress party to nominate Manmohan Singh as prime ministerial candidate of the ruling United Progressive Alliance, which met with lukewarm response from the Congress party.

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