Widely seen to be the Congress’s Prime Ministerial candidate in the 2014 elections, Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday appeared to distance himself from such talk saying building the organisation was his priority. “Asking me whether you want to be Prime Minister is a wrong question,” he told party MPs in an informal discussion.
The issue of Rahul’s marriage also came up in his chat with MPs. “If I get married and have children, I will be status quoist and will like my children to take my place,” he told a former woman MP who shot the question.
The Congress Vice President’s off-the-cuff remarks came during a discussion with a group of MPs on how he proposes to go about the task of building the party, empowering the youth and creating a middle level leadership. It assumes significance against the backdrop of a growing clamour in Congress for projecting him as its Prime Ministerial face before the next Lok Sabha elections.
The party was quick to latch on to his remarks claiming high moral ground saying it contrasted with other parties, where people are “fighting for posts”. However, AICC spokesperson Rashid Alvi said as far as party workers are concerned, they want to see Rahul as prime minister. “I am sure that one day, Rahul Gandhi will become the prime minister”, he said.
In his talk with MPs, 42-year-old Gandhi also gave signals that he was against the ‘high command culture’, saying that he wants to empower more and more people than a handful, who call the shots. “Today I see how MPs feel without power and it is the same story in all the parties, be it Congress or BJP. I want to empower the 720-odd MPs in Parliament.
–PTI