Bengaluru: As opposition parties confront the question of 'who will be the PM candidate,' one key player says his party's mission remains to see Rahul Gandhi in the top post after the May Lok Sabha election.
Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy says his Janata Dal (Secular) will work towards that goal even though he had recently said West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee was an able candidate.
“My party’s decision is we want to support Rahul Gandhi for PM. This is our commitment and it remains so,” said Mr Kumaraswamy, who heads a coalition government with the Congress, adding that his father and former PM H.D. Deve Gowda also believed in it.
In an exclusive interview to a TV channel, he clarified that his earlier comments were taken out of context. "I said among regional parties, there are several able leaders other than the BJP. Why not Mayawati, Mamata Banerjee... But our party is committed to installing Rahul Gandhi as PM," he said.
On Rahul Gandhi's credentials for the top post, and whether he can take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr Kumaraswamy said: "I have confidence he can take on PM Modi," adding, PM Modi was "only a paper tiger" and Rahul had matured as a politician.
"Modiji speaks well, his presentation is good, he uses social media but what is his achievement in the last four years," Mr Kumaraswamy asked.
