CHENNAI/DELHI: Congress stalwart, foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee, on Thursday said that Rahul Gandhi may soon take over as the country's prime minister, giving fresh fillip to speculation about the party's timeframe for the young party general secretary's elevation to the top job.
"The days are not far off when Rahul Gandhi may follow his father's footsteps," Mukherjee said at a conference of overseas Indians, adding that the late Rajiv Gandhi had become PM at the age of 40.
Mukherjee's remark came in response to a question and the foreign minister also mentioned other young leaders — just-elected J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah, for instance. Yet, the timing of the remark, during the lead-up to Lok Sabha polls, and the fact that the foreign minister is not given to casual talk, invested it with far greater significance.
As a matter of fact, last year, the party leadership had censured HRD minister Arjun Singh when he said that Rahul should take over the reins from Manmohan Singh.
This time on, however, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh came up with a full-scale endorsement of Mukherjee, arguably the most seasoned voice in the party.
The Congress spokesman also pitched in with praise. "He has all the qualities to lead the nation," party spokesman Shakil Ahmed said. "The new generation sees him as its representative," he added. Ahmed, however, pointed out that the timing and decision would be of Rahul's choice.
The foreign minister's comment ties in well with a conspicuous effort by the party to set the stage for the imminent ascension. Congress PR machine has seized upon a young Omar Abdullah's taking over as J&K chief minister to buttress its own credentials as the party of youth. The party even suggested that it had nudged Farooq Abdullah to step aside for his son.
Simultaneously, the party had mocked the BJP for projecting octogenarian L K Advani as its choice for prime minister, in what appeared to be an attempt to appeal to the young as well as to frame the coming election as a contest between old and youth. Clearly, a septuagenarian Manmohan Singh would not fit in this gameplan.
Congress settled on Manmohan Singh because of his high trust quotient. And while the PM has retained the trust, sources say that his continuation beyond 2009 will depend not just on whether Congress stitches up another coalition but also on when Rahul, assuming a favourable verdict, is ready to take the baton.
Congress has declared that Manmohan Singh would lead the party into the polls, but that has not undercut the growing estimate in the party that from now, he could be just keeping the chair warm for Rahul.
Rahul is 38 and can wait for a while before moving into the office. The interregnum, however, will be used to do the spadework for his arrival in the Prime Minister's Office.
Putting his question to the foreign minister at the conference of overseas Indians, a young delegate based in the US had wanted to know why there were no young chief ministers in India. He referred to Tamil Nadu, which is ruled by M Karunanidhi, who is running 85.
Mukherjee, in his reply, gave the example of Prafulla Mahanta going straight from the university campus to the Assam government secretariat at the age of 33.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
"The days are not far off when Rahul Gandhi may follow his father's footsteps," Mukherjee said at a conference of overseas Indians, adding that the late Rajiv Gandhi had become PM at the age of 40.
Mukherjee's remark came in response to a question and the foreign minister also mentioned other young leaders — just-elected J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah, for instance. Yet, the timing of the remark, during the lead-up to Lok Sabha polls, and the fact that the foreign minister is not given to casual talk, invested it with far greater significance.
As a matter of fact, last year, the party leadership had censured HRD minister Arjun Singh when he said that Rahul should take over the reins from Manmohan Singh.
This time on, however, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh came up with a full-scale endorsement of Mukherjee, arguably the most seasoned voice in the party.
The Congress spokesman also pitched in with praise. "He has all the qualities to lead the nation," party spokesman Shakil Ahmed said. "The new generation sees him as its representative," he added. Ahmed, however, pointed out that the timing and decision would be of Rahul's choice.
The foreign minister's comment ties in well with a conspicuous effort by the party to set the stage for the imminent ascension. Congress PR machine has seized upon a young Omar Abdullah's taking over as J&K chief minister to buttress its own credentials as the party of youth. The party even suggested that it had nudged Farooq Abdullah to step aside for his son.
Simultaneously, the party had mocked the BJP for projecting octogenarian L K Advani as its choice for prime minister, in what appeared to be an attempt to appeal to the young as well as to frame the coming election as a contest between old and youth. Clearly, a septuagenarian Manmohan Singh would not fit in this gameplan.
Congress settled on Manmohan Singh because of his high trust quotient. And while the PM has retained the trust, sources say that his continuation beyond 2009 will depend not just on whether Congress stitches up another coalition but also on when Rahul, assuming a favourable verdict, is ready to take the baton.
Congress has declared that Manmohan Singh would lead the party into the polls, but that has not undercut the growing estimate in the party that from now, he could be just keeping the chair warm for Rahul.
Rahul is 38 and can wait for a while before moving into the office. The interregnum, however, will be used to do the spadework for his arrival in the Prime Minister's Office.
Putting his question to the foreign minister at the conference of overseas Indians, a young delegate based in the US had wanted to know why there were no young chief ministers in India. He referred to Tamil Nadu, which is ruled by M Karunanidhi, who is running 85.
Mukherjee, in his reply, gave the example of Prafulla Mahanta going straight from the university campus to the Assam government secretariat at the age of 33.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
