AHMEDABAD: Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi brushed off suggestions that he could become the prime minister after elections later this year.
The young Congress MP, who was on a two-day visit to north Gujarat, interacted with people in Sabarkantha district late Sunday night.
When a college student asked him whether he saw himself as a prime minister after the elections, the Gandhi scion replied with a firm: “No chance.”
The Amethi MP explained: “Since the Congress is projecting present Prime Minister Manmohan Singhji as the next prime minister of the country, the question does not arise. As to whether I will be the prime minister in 2014, I can’t say, which is so distant in the future.”
He also exhorted the people to join the Youth Congress.
Addressing 600 adivasi (tribal) youth at Sanali who gave him a rousing reception, Gandhi said: “First join the Youth Congress, which is not meant for any particular caste, creed or religion. Let us strengthen the Youth Congress before we talk about any group’s economic development.”
The youths, including women, had come from far away places.
Gandhi reached Sanali in Banaskantha on Sunday after 10pm, instead of 4.30pm as scheduled. The reason was darkness, and keeping his safety in mind it was advised that he travel by road instead of by air, Congress sources said.
Gandhi faced the youth without being chaperoned by any state Congress leader though he was accompanied by Gujarat party chief Siddharth Patel, opposition leader in Gujarat assembly Shaktisinh Gohil, Banaskantha Congress president Bahadursinh Vaghela and Danta legislator Mukesh Gadhvi.
Pushpa Ramjibhai Rathod, 18, a student of Sanali Ashram, wanted to know whether the Congress had plans to set up a Nano-type car factory in the tribal belt of Sabarkantha so that the youth of the region could get jobs.
While replying, Gandhi took a swipe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
“For all of us here it is not our government that is ruling the state. It is a government of rich industrialists and not of the poor. The UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government has indeed given a package for the uplift of adivasis,” he said.
“We are one and the same though we belong to different communities. When the country makes progress the Congress feels it should be an inclusive growth. Various poverty alleviation programmes like the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme have been evolved to develop an appropriate social security net for the poor,” he said.
Gandhi later left for Ambaji, halting there overnight. He left yesterday morning for Himmatnagar and met young farmers and tribal youth at Nalinkanth Gandhi Town Hall. He interacted with the youth alone, without any local Congress leader at his side except security officials.
Meanwhile, the Congress yesterday said Modi was getting “nightmares” due to the sustained campaigning by
Gandhi in his state, and the chief minister’s statements against the Congress general secretary showed his frustration and desperation.
Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said: “Modi is highly insecure and frustrated. Modi’s statement calling Rahul Gandhi an aquarium fish shows that he believes in ‘matsya nyaya’ (jungle law) and is living in the jungle law, where the powerful swallow the weaker.”
Modi on Sunday described Gandhi as a ‘small fish’ in an aquarium. – IANS
Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said: “Modi is highly insecure and frustrated. Modi’s statement calling Rahul Gandhi an aquarium fish shows that he believes in ‘matsya nyaya’ (jungle law) and is living in the jungle law, where the powerful swallow the weaker.”
Modi on Sunday described Gandhi as a ‘small fish’ in an aquarium. – IANS
Source: gulf-times
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