AUG 19- The Congress party is finally ready to make party vice-president Rahul Gandhi its prime ministerial candidate but has decided not to announce it now, like the BJP seems to be doing with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
According to a newspaper report on Monday, to counter Modi’s poll rallies and tirade against the Congress, the party’s election coordination committee wants the Amethi MP to start addressing public meetings and rallies across India starting with 25 state capitals.
The committee wants to project Rahul Gandhi a contender for the top post without any formal declaration and letting voters deduce it themselves, like it’s happening in the case of BJP leader Modi.
Gandhi may also speak to mediapersons to announce his series of rallies soon.
The report, quoting a party leader, also said that when Congress chief Sonia Gandhi was on August 15 asked by reporters whether Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would hoist the flag from Red Fort in 2014 too, she “paused and walked away without responding”.
It also quoted a party strategist countering the impression that Rahul was reluctant to vie for the PM’s post. “As far as we know reluctance and such active involvement do not go together,” he said.
INDIA TODAY
