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On a day that BJP’s Prime Ministerial hopeful Narendra Modi targeted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from the ramparts of a “replica” of the Red Fort at Chattisgarh and derided Congress scion Rahul Gandhi “on whom Congress is banking for the future”; Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself endorsed “Rahul Gandhi ji” as PM after the 2014 polls. Ironically, the PM who spoke to reporters on his way back from the G20 summit today, had only a week back plaintively defended himself on the floor of the Parliament from an unforgiving Opposition targeting him in the coal scam, saying “Whatever people here may say, I command a certain respect among leaders in G20.”
This Monsoon session the Opposition has been scathing in its direct attack on the Prime Minister questioning his role in the coal scam as he was the then Coal minister and then accusing him of “running away” from Parliament. The Opposition termed his replies as “evasive” and wanted frank answers from him on the “missing coal files” – something that was not forthcoming from the Prime Minister.
Astutely sidestepping the direct question which was put to him today on his possible third term; “Do you think it is possible for you to go ahead for a third term, because many in the Congress party would like to see Rahul Gandhi to lead the party” – Manmohan Singh replied, “I have always maintained that Rahul Gandhi ji would be an ideal choice for the Prime Minister’s position after the 2014 election. I would be very happy to work for the Congress party under the leadership of Mr. Rahul Gandhi.”
The Congress expectedly hailed Dr. Singh’s endorsement of the Congress scion with Rajeev Shukla welcoming the Prime Minister’s statement. Congressmen have never lost an opportunity to declare that Rahul Gandhi be named Prime Minister with the Gandhi scion himself chiding chief minister’s for being sycophant.
Opposition BJP has often derided the Prime Minister for doing nothing more than keeping the seat warm for the Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, the Gandhi scion.
The Trinamool Congress the other day publicly questioned in Parliament whether anyone in the government was listening to the Prime Minister. “Is anyone listening to the PM,” asked Derek O’Brien demanding answers on how the Home Ministry was holding consultations with Gorkha leaders in Delhi when the PM had written to the Bengal chief minister that the state government would be kept in the loop.
The 80 year old Prime Minister today underlined that he was willing and “would be very happy to work” under Rahul Gandhi. It is another matter that Gandhi himself has never been keen to take up a ministerial portfolio and only conceded to take up the party post of being second in command ( Congress Vice President), after his mother Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s illness.
That Narendra Modi chose to address the gathering from a Red Fort look alike - the symbolism was not lost on anyone – Modi has been positing himself as the next Prime Minister although his party appears to be a tad reluctant.
Modi it might be recalled had on August 15 th done the unthinkable - soon after the Prime Minister gave his Independence Day address to the nation from the Red Fort, Modi addressed a rally within an hour on the same day critiquing the PM.
Today Modi targeted both: the Prime Minister and the person “on whom Congress is banking for the future” (Rahul Gandhi). Critiquing the former’s handling of the economy he described him as a “ Doctor of finance” saying, “The Doctor in Delhi, who is Doctor of finance, but the Rupee is in hospital hanging between life and death.”
As for Rahul Gandhi and his comment that “poverty is nothing but a state of mind” Modi knifed him deep saying, this was "like pouring acid on the misery of the poor". He then rubbed it in making references to the Congress pet “garibi hatao” slogan – underlining the irony that it was his grandmother Indira Gandhi who had coined the slogan 'garibi hatao'.
In all this cacophony, we are yet to hear what ‘Rahul Gandhi ji’ himself has to say on the recommendation of Manmohan Singh on his Prime Ministerial credentials.
