Cong tries to project Modi as 'state leader'

Despite a section of the Bharatiya Janata Party and outside seeing him as the PM candidate, Congress Thursday sought to project Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as a state leader and dismissed suggestion that he had hijacked Rahul Gandhi's agenda of connecting with youth.

It also steered clear of questions whether the next Lok Sabha polls will be a Rahul Gandhi vs Narendra Modi tussle.

"Whom to project as the PM candidate is the internal matter of the BJP and since Modi is Gujarat chief minister, the Gujarat PCC will appropriately respond to whatever he has said," was the response of party spokesman Rashid Alvi to reporters.

He said that the Congress would like to see Rahul, who is its leader, to become the next prime minister.

But, Alvi insisted that the party does not name its PM candidate before elections and the leader is chosen by the high command along with the newly elected members of Parliament.

The Congress spokesman dismissed suggestions that Modi through his speech in Delhi on Wednesday had hijacked Rahul Gandhi's agenda of connecting with youth.

On Wednesday, the Gujarat chief minister used the SRCC college platform to project himself nationally saying his focus was on development politics and not that of vote-bank, which he said has "ruined" the nation.