FROM THE Regional PRESS

Commenting on Arjun Singh8217;s projection of Rahul Gandhi as the Congress candidate for Prime Minister...

Rashtriya Sahara

Commenting on Arjun Singh8217;s projection of Rahul Gandhi as the Congress candidate for Prime Minister, Rashtriya Sahara quoted some Congress leaders as saying that they did not think this was an opportune time for such statements, especially when the party has expressed its complete faith in Manmohan Singh8217;s leadership. The writer says some party leaders thought Arjun Singh8212;rumours of whose retirement are rife8212;had come out with his statement only to exhibit his loyalty towards 10, Janpath. But his remarks have created an awkward situation for Manmohan Singh.

Amar Ujala

An editorial in Amar Ujala says Arjun Singh8217;s comments8212;comparing Rahul Gandhi with his father Rajiv Gandhi and recommending the former for the prime minister8217;s post8212;and the controversy it raised showed the lack of clarity within the party on the issue. 8220;Rahul Gandhi has had his grooming in politics for the last five years. When Sonia Gandhi had refused to accept the prime minister8217;s chair, many had said that the 8216;sacrifice8217; would pave the way for Rahul in the future. After that, Rahul Gandhi8217;s responsibilities in the party only got bigger. But he has not been able to achieve anything significant so far,8221; the editorial says, adding that 8220;that there is no harm in projecting Rahul as the prime minister.8221; But it also argues that the party, which has come to power after being in the Opposition for 10 years, is unable to figure out how the party would fare in the Lok Sabha elections if it projects Rahul as its prime ministerial candidate.

Hindustan

The Hindustan didn8217;t carry edits on the subject; only said the Congress had warned all those Congressmen who were pitching for Rahul Gandhi as Prime Minister that neither party president Sonia Gandhi nor Rahul Gandhi appreciated this kind of sycophancy. The newspaper quoted Congress spokesperson Jayanti Natrajan as saying that 8220;the post of Prime Minister is not vacant at the moment8221;.