Bangalore: Will Chairman of UIDAI Nandan Nilekani be projected as the Prime Ministerial candidate by the Congress? Such an impression gained currency at a brainstorming session held by Rahul Gandhi with young achievers in Bangalore on Saturday, with the Congress Vice President often turning to Nilekani for his views on a plethora of issues—from creation of employment opportunities to empowerment of youth.
Nilekani, who is likely to contest on a Congress ticket from the prestigious Bangalore (South) Lok Sabha constituency, got an opportunity to express his views almost a dozen times at the National Congress' Consultation for the National Youth and Students' Manifesto.
Gandhi remarked: “The fundamental reason why there is inadequate space for youth in politics is that the process of entry and promotion are not transparent. The real problem is the process of selecting candidates.”
Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh and Union ministers Manish Tewari, Sachin Pilot and Jitendra Singh also attended the interactive session. On Nilekani’s ambition to contest elections on a Congress ticket, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said, “Nilekani has presided over the greatest transformation the country has seen and has given identity to over 50 crore people, who were without identity. So his contribution to the Indian state and Indian paradigm is unparallelled and unique. The party will take an appropriate decision after a due process.
