Congress president Rahul Gandhi has yet again answered in affirmative when asked as to who would be the Prime Minister if Congress party comes to power in 2019. Mr. Gandhi was at the 16th Hindustan Times Leadership summit when this question was asked to him.
“We have had a discussion with the allies and decided that the decision on prime minister is a two-stage process. Stage one is defeating the BJP. Stage two, after the election, we will decide on who will become Prime Minister. If they want me to, I would become Prime Minister,” Gandhi said.
Earlier too this year, during his campaign for Karnataka elections Mr. Gandhi had hinted at being the Prime Minister if the Congress won the majority of votes.
Launching a scathing attack on the BJP government he stated that the ruling party has gone to war with the people of the country. “A war was on between the ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the parent body of the BJP, and the world view of the various political parties ranged against the RSS”, he said at the event.
He targeted the government for its inability to create more jobs and said, “Unemployment is at a 20-year high. The informal sector has been decimated. Public confidence is in tatters. Aspiration is turning into anger. Institutions are attacked and destroyed. Today, India is in fear”.
The Congress president also raised questions on the policy decisions of the government, saying the government has to answer on farmers’ suicide, and the sufferings of small and medium businesses.
Expressing confidence in his party he predicted a win for his party in four of the five forthcoming Assembly elections while also foretelling that his party would win “a lot” of seats in the 2019 general elections.
He stated that if the congress is voted to power in the upcoming elections, it will make sure that the farmers are supported; small and medium enterprises are strengthened and good quality infrastructures are built along with the focus on education sector.
On answering how to create jobs and help economic development he said banks should open up for small and medium businesses and agriculture should be linked with industry to create jobs.
Talking about BSP’s to contest elections alone in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, he said that this move won’t affect his party in the upcoming polls and they might come together in 2019 general elections.
He said, “The alliance in states and Centre are different. I was more flexible than some of our state leaders. While we were amidst conversation, they (BSP) decided to go their way. I think we will win the election in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. At the national level, I can see us coming together, especially in Uttar Pradesh”.