The Congress on Wednesday said its Vice President Rahul Gandhi stated the fact about taking up the post of party President and be the prime ministerial candidate for the 2019 General Elections, adding "it will happen in a democratic manner".
"This is a fact, and he has stated it. The party's organisational polls are going on. This should reach a logical conclusion. There is still time for the 2019 elections.
"By that time, our strategy will be ready and the leader will also come up," said Congress Spokesperson Manish Tewari when asked about Rahul Gandhi's remarks made during his United States visit.
As to why the party was reluctant in choosing its leader when Rahul Gandhi had affirmed his readiness to take up the top post, Tewari said: "We are a democratic party. There is an organisational election process playing itself out... and one thing which Rahul Gandhi emphasised and underscored was that he is a liberal and a democrat."
"So, you don't second-guess an organisational election process when it is playing itself out. It will culminate logically in what the aspirations and the desires of the Congress workers are," he added.
Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday he was "absolutely ready" to be the party's prime ministerial candidate in the 2019 elections and take up an executive role in the Congress during an interactive session at the University of California in Berkeley.
--IANS
sid/tsb/dg