On the eve of Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi's birthday on June 19, loyalists have once again raised the issue of Gandhi junior becoming the prime minister of India, a post for which there is no vacancy at the moment.
But even within the Congress, the mood now is that it is time for Dr Manmohan Singh to make way for Rahul Gandhi.
All India Congress Committee general secretary Digvijay Singh, known to be one of the closest confidantes of Rahul Gandhi, recently made a strong pitch for the young Gandhi as PM saying he has 'all the qualities and capabilities to become a good Prime Minister.'
Digvijay Singh, while talking to reporters at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi, said Rahul understands social and political issues and tries to solve them, adding that he is "quite mature". He said that besides being a member of the Gandhi family, he has the qualities of both the head and the heart to strike a rapport with the people.
Asked whether Rahul wants to be the PM, Digvijay Singh said, "No one says he wants to be the prime minister but he has the ability to be the PM as well as all the capabilities. Woh soojh-boojh ke vyakti hain (he is a person of wisdom and understanding)".
When asked who was Rahul's main competitor in politics, Digvijaya said, "He competes with himself, not with others. He works with the courage of his convictions. He works with commitment and confidence". He dismissed suggestions that Uttar Pradesh CM Mayawati or Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav were his rivals in politics.
When asked to respond to charges that Rahul was more about drama and less about action, Digvijay Singh said, "If you want to see drama, just look at (yoga guru) Baba Ramdev. But with Rahul, whatever he does is with passion, sincerity and dedication".
Digvijay Singh met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday but refused to divulge what happened at the meeting.
Digvijaya has been very active of late, speaking on a host of issues, and being the first to be critical about both Baba Ramdev and social activist Anna Hazare saying their campaigns were being backed by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha and that they were speaking as the voices of the Hindutva forces.
Interestingly, the UP Congress, of which Digvijay Singh is in charge, is all set to make Rahul Gandhi's birthday a big show all over the state and has called it 'Kisan Adhikar Divas' (Farmers' rights day).
UP Congress Committee president Rita Bahuguna Joshi has issued a circular to all UP MPs, MLAs, PCC office bearers, asking them to 'celebrate Rahul's birthday in every block, district, town, city and village of UP.'
She has also asked them to hold chaupals and listen to the grievances of the people and the farmers against the 'atyachar' (barbarity) of the UP government.
She has asked that Congressmen should prepare lists of their grievances and this would then be taken up as party workers should establish personal rapport with the people and bring their problems to the notice of the authorities.
Bhatta Parsaul village in Greater Noida district, where Rahul had gone to agitate in support of farmers in a land acquisition row, is likely to become a major centre of agitation once again.
For the moment, both Rahul and his mother party chief Sonia Gandhi are abroad on vacation. While it is expected that the Congress president is likely to be back by Friday, it is not yet clear whether Rahul would be in India on his birthday, since it is more the norm that he is out of the country during that period.
UP Congress has been keen to make his birthday a big political show since assembly elections are just a year away and the Congress leaders are working on galvanising their workers and bring a sense of enthusiasm back in the party.
The fact that Digvijay Singh has spoken on the eve of his birthday, is being seen as a clear message by his loyalists that they are keen that he should become more active politically.
Image: Rahul Gandhi
