What is Wrong If Rahul Gandhi Wants to Become PM?

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Rahul Gandhi at election campaign

Rahul Gandhi has every right to stake claim to the PM post if the Congress emerges as largest single party. What is wrong in this?

Congress president Rahul Gandhi, as usual, got a barrage of criticism and comments when he said that he will be the Prime Minister candidate if his party emerges as the single largest group among all its coalition partners in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

If the Congress emerges as the single largest party, he has every right to stake claim to the Prime Minister’s post. That is how democracy works.

What is wrong in that? If the Congress emerges as the single largest party, he has every right to stake claim to the Prime Minister’s post. That is how democracy works.

Moreover, anyone can become a PM aspirant. It is not an exclusive right of any individual or party.

Said Rahul Gandhi during an interaction with prominent personalities in Bengaluru as part of the launch of Samruddhi Bharat conference: “If the Congress party is the biggest party, yes.” He was answering a question on his PM aspiration.

Sonia Gandhi RahulLet us look at the other scenario. If the BJP emerges as the single largest party, will Modi not be the front-runner of the party to the PM post? In fact, he will be the only `runner’.

But there is a catch in Rahul’s aspiration. One, it is too early in the day to speak of this when the election is far away. Secondly, while he has the right to stake claim to the PM post, the other coalition partners should agree and support such a move. There is no guarantee that the other parties would give the PM post on a platter to Rahul.

Already NCP leader Sharad Pawar has said that it is the electorate that would decide, thus mildly telling Rahul to cap his ambition at this point.

The SP too made it clear that it is too premature to speak of who will be the coalition PM candidate now.

The Left parties too were not amused.

The Congress president may be sending out a message to other parties that the PM post is not negotiable if the Congress emerges at the top, which it is likely among the coalition partners. The Congress is doing well in UP, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh – the three states that can decide on who will be the next PM.

But this has an inbuilt danger. The coalition, struggling to put its house in order, may fall apart before the elections on this issue alone. There are many ambitious characters in the coalition fold: Sharad Pawar, Mayawati, Mulayam Singh Yadav and even Sitaram Yechury.

Rahul predicted that the BJP would not win the 2019 Lok Sabha polls

Rahul also predicted that the BJP would not win the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi might lose from Varanasi as he will not be able to face a ‘united’ Opposition that is emerging in Uttar Pradesh.

“The BJP will not get more than five seats in UP alone. The recent bypolls in UP has already exhibited the strength of collective opposition,” he added.

That too is too premature to state now.