No twin centres of power, says Rahul

Rahul Gandhi, Congress member of Parliament from Amethi and scion of the Gandhi-Nehru family, today denied that there were two 'centres of power' in the Union government [an allusion to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party president Sonia Gandhi].

Speaking to Press Trust of India in Amethi, Gandhi, who is currently on a two-day visit to his Lok Sabha constituency, said, "The Manmohan Singh government is functioning with full freedom and without any interference from any quarter, but those who had propagated the feel-good factor during the Lok Sabha elections [a reference to the previous National Democratic Alliance government] are not able to digest the change of regime," he said.

"They are the same people who indulged in levelling baseless allegations against my family," Gandhi said.

Regarding the repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, he said the government decided to do away with it as it was "misused" in the past.

Gandhi, however, stressed that the problem of terrorism should be sternly dealt with.

To another question, he said one need not occupy the post of prime minister to serve the country.

He said his family was committed to serving the country and by refusing the top post, his mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi did what an ideal Indian woman should have done.

 "It was my mother's personal decision," but it was a "fitting reply to those who used to level baseless allegations against her and my family," he added.

Gandhi said the law and order situation was "bad" in the whole of Uttar Pradesh but it was "worse" in Rae Bareli in
particular.

He said as an MP from the area it would be his endeavour to ensure his constituency's all-round development.

Gandhi said the party organisation needed to be strengthened at the grass-root level to infuse new life into it.

Earlier, he held a meeting with the district magistrate, superintendent of police and the local legislator Ameeta Singh to
discuss the law and order situation in his constituency and developmental activities.