PM in the making: Rahul Gandhi
Monday, 20 June 2011, 15:29 IST
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PM in the making: Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi: Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh said that Rahul Gandhi was now a mature person with sound political instincts and can become the Prime Minister. "I think it is time that Rahul can become the Prime Minister," Singh said, talking to PTI. "Rahul is now 40 and he has been working for the party for the last seven to eight years," Singh said. The son of the Gandhi family has the right qualities, instincts and experience to take up the mantle of prime minister-ship now, Singh said. As many as 46 percent of people believe that Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi will make a better prime minister than incumbent Manmohan Singh, according to a national survey. According to a 'Mood of the Nation' poll conducted by the news website LensOnNews.com, nearly two-thirds (61 percent) of voters want a change of government in New Delhi. Only half that number (34 percent) still back the Manmohan Singh-led government to continue in office, it said. "Rahul Gandhi is clearly preferred over Manmohan Singh for the position of prime minister," it said. "As many as 46 percent believe that Rahul Gandhi would make a better prime minister while only 34 percent think Manmohan Singh should continue." The LensPoll was carried out among a representative sample of about 3,800 voters across India, in 40 Lok Sabha constituencies in 14 states. The poll was conducted between June 12 and 16. The findings carry a margin of error of four percent. The survey, however, said that between Rahul Gandhi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Narendra Modi, 53 percent opted for the chief minister of Gujarat. The survey said that disenchantment against the Congress-led central government was significantly higher in urban areas, among the college educated and upper castes. "It is ironical that these are the very same sections that rooted heavily for the Congress in 2009. Under the present regime, the Congress seems to have lost the goodwill of the informed public." The choice of Rahul Gandhi as prime minister received a much higher rating among Muslims, women, farmers and labourers -- precisely the sections the Congress banks on heavily for votes. Gandhi, who turned 41 Sunday, was elected to the Lok Sabha from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh in 2009. A section of Congress leaders too has stepped up calls that he should become prime minister. Unlike in previous years, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's birthday Sunday, his 41st, was a low key affair as the young leader wanted it to be dedicated to the cause of farmers in Uttar Pradesh, a party leader said. All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary Dalbir Singh told IANS: "Rahulji has clearly informed that there should be no birthday celebrations in any form in Delhi, so we kept the celebrations a low-key affair." According to party sources, Gandhi instructed party workers not to gift him bouquets or flowers. But despite being instructed, a few party workers distributed sweets outside the Congress office. "We neither cut a cake nor distributed sweets on our youth leader's birthday but the Delhi Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers tried to mingle with farmers," said Anil Kumar, a member of IYC, Delhi While party workers in Uttar Pradesh observed Gandhi's birthday as Kisan Adhikar Diwas (Farmers' Rights Day), many IYC leaders from Delhi visited Uttar Pradesh. "Like Rahul Gandhi, we will also fight for the cause of farmers and get their problems redressed. Some of our members are there in Uttar Pradesh," Anil Kumar added. Barely a month ago, Gandhi sneaked into Bhatta-Parsaul village in Greater Noida and staged a protest following which he was arrested. The police-farmer clash in the village May 7 left four farmers, protesting against land takeover, and two policemen dead.
Source: PTI