Rahul Gandhi to lead Congress from front in Lok Sabha polls: Pilot

“I am making it very,very unambiguous to you. Rahul Gandhi will lead this party to polls in 2014 and once we win,God willing,and when the UPA III is being formed,at that time you will see,who becomes our PM candidate,” he said.

He was asked why the ruling party is so diffident about projecting its Prime Ministerial nominee before elections when there are growing indications that Modi could be named BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate soon.

Related: Congress downplays Manmohan’s remarks,says only Rahul Gandhi can be PM

“You can be less flamboyant but you have to be humane,approachable,and an acceptable leader,who has the heart to carry people along. Whether you are in coalition or in single party rule,it does not matter. The country is too large. We are a collection of so many religions,cultures and ethnicity that we need and we deserve an entity,who is able to take everyone along.

“…To my mind,one person,who is able to transcend these divisions that we have of caste,religion,language and so on from this part of India to that part of India,the only person,who can symbolically epitomize all of India,is Rahul Gandhi,” Pilot said in an interview.

Related: Congress downplays Manmohan’s remarks,says only Rahul Gandhi can be PM

When pointed out that Manmohan Singh was declared the Prime Ministerial candidate during the release of Congress Manifesto before 2009 Lok Sabha elections,Pilot merely said,”Wait for manifesto day and may be we have something to say then but I cannot say anything today.”

Related: Manmohan roots for Rahul Gandhi as PM candidate

He prefaced the comments by saying that Congress never declares its Prime Ministerial or Chief Ministerial candidate and took a jibe at Modi,saying the urgency of wanting to be declared its PM candidate lies solely and solely with one person and that is the Gujarat Chief Minister.

His remarks come close on the heels of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying that Gandhi will be an “ideal choice” for the prime minsters’s post after the next Lok Sabha polls.”

“I have always maintained that Rahul Gandhi would be an ideal choice for the Prime Minister’s post after 2014 elections (Lok Sabha). I will be very happy to work in the Congress under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi,” the Prime Minister had said.

Related: Rahul woos Left,confident of their support for Manmohan

BJP had criticised the PM’s remarks,saying it lowers the dignity of the Prime Minister’s Chair.

Pilot,however,said that Singh might be referring to the fact that Gandhi is Vice President of the party.

“Singh is also a member of the Congress Working Committee. Presidents and Vice Presidents are heads of the party,” he maintained.

Asserting that he Congress will be able to take ahead the message of development and stability,Pilot said,”That is what we will take to the people under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi.”

He expressed confidence that people will see all options and give the UPA a third chance to come back to power.

The young minister,who is considered a key member of the Rahul Gandhi team,said there is a “visible change” in the functioning of the party after Gandhi becoming the Vice President with “accountability” having been inculcated in the system.

“Since he became Vice President eight nine months ago,there is a visible change in the functioning of the party. I say this because I have seen the kind of detailing he is doing with every state,leader,workers,legislators and party office bearers,who are now,meeting with him directly.

“…in fact,now even the way we are distributing tickets in the four states going to polls and the scrutiny,the kind of accountability that is being fixed in at the block administration level,was perhaps not so defined earlier,” he said.