Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is reportedly unhappy with Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh's comments on Sunday saying Rahul Gandhi was now ready to become PM.
Sources told Headlines Today that the prime minister has not taken the comments lightly and wants the AICC to clarify the party's stand on Digvijay's remarks. Manmohan wants the AICC to rebuke Digvijay for his remarks, said the sources.
Digvijay had used Rahul Gandhi's 41st birthday on Sunday to say he should take over as prime minister. Digvijay had said, "I think it is time that Rahul becomes the Prime Minister. Rahul is now 41 and he has been working for the party for the last seven to eight years. But all this will be decided by him only."
On Monday, Digvijay sang a different tune. "I must clarify that the only thing I said was that in my lifetime I would like to see Rahul Gandhi as the PM. It does not mean that Manmohan Singh should go. I never meant it. We are happy under his leadership. I meant that Rahul has all the qualities to become PM," he said.
Senior journalist Swapan Dasgupta told Headlines Today, "This should not be seen in isolation". For the past some time, Digvijay has gone on to distance himself from the position of the government on different issues, Dasgupta said. "There is a continuous sniping at the government's handling of the civil society over its agitation," Dasgupta added.
Responding to a question if there is an attempt to undermine the position of the prime minister, party spokesperson Jayanti Natrajan said, "There is no difference of opinions within the party. It's a united party."
"Manmohan Singh is our PM and will continue to do so. However, Rahul is a most charismatic politician. He has all the qualities to lead the party in the future - something no young leader has done," she added.
Author and co-founder of hamaracongress.com Sanjay Jha said Rahul joined the party when the Congress was facing various crises, but he breathed life into the youth Congress. "Lots of people don't give him credit for what he has done at the grassroots level. Digvijay's remark should be seen from that perspective," Jha told.
