14 Feb :Making it clear yet again that he is not in the race for the top post, Rahul Gandhi has said Manmohan Singh is his prime ministerial candidate in the coming elections.
"I have answered this question many times in the past. My prime ministerial candidate for the coming Lok Sabha elections is Dr Manmohan Singh," the Congress General Secretary told reporters at Surat on Saturday.
He was replying to a question on whether he will be UPA’s prime ministerial candidate in the coming Lok Sabha elections.
His mother and Congress President Sonia Gandhi had last week virtually declared that Singh would be the prime minister for another term if the party comes to power again.As far as he was concerned, Gandhi said he has taken up the role of reviving Youth Congress, attract large number of youths in politics and Congress and involve them in nation building exercise, he said.
Gandhi is on a three-day visit to the state and has travelled in Saurashtra, Central and South Gujarat districts, meeting students, inspecting a recruitment drive of youth Congress and its preparation for polls.
In a reply to a question on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s remark that the country needs to be freed from family rule, Rahul said, "Mr Modi has many views and he is entitled to have his views".
Replying to a question on Pakistan’s response to the Indian dossier, Gandhi said, "We are interested in results on the issue of terrorism."
Gandhi, who is also in-charge of Youth Congress, said he is working to build youth wing of the party as a totally democratic organisation by holding elections in them.
"I am trying to attract maximum youths to politics and nation building exercise," Gandhi said, adding that he wanted to build Youth Congress cadre democratically from a stretch.
"It (Youth Congress) will be a complete democratic organisation which no other party has done so far," he added.
Speaking on M S University withdrawing permission to hold his programme in its campus, Gandhi said, "they might have tried to stop me but I went there and talked to so many youngsters and students and I had better time talking and getting their feedback on various issues."
When asked about his Valentine, Gandhi said, "I do not believe in Valentine’s Day, at the same time I have no problem with people celebrating it. There should not be one day to show that you care for somebody."
Speaking on National Knowledge Commission report, he said, it is forward looking report and must be implemented for improving education system of the country."