Shiv Sena MP says, Rahul Gandhi capable of leading country

Pune: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday said Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is capable of leading the country and noted that it was absolutely wrong to still call him 'Pappu'.Talking to reporters at Sena Bhavan here, he said, "Rahul no longer remains Pappu as he was in 2014, and today he has become a good leader and has developed capacity to lead the country."Repeatedly praising Rahul, Mr Raut further said that the way he interacted with the people of Gujarat and elsewhere in the country has made one thing clear that he was ready to lead the nation.

In a veiled attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Shiv Sena MP, whose party is an alliance partner in the state and central governments, said that there was no need for him to camp in Gujarat for assembly elections and observed that the election cannot be won on the development plank alone. He said, "There is a lot of anger among people of Gujarat against the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and it is an indication that BJP would face a stiff challenge in polls of Gujarat, where the first phase of voting started on Saturday."

In a strong criticism of the government's move of demonetisation and the rollout of GST, Mr Raut said the impact of GST would be felt in the Gujarat assembly elections."There is no Modi wave in the country and the results of Gujarat election will indicate the same soon," he observed. Criticising BJP for taking credit for the rise of a person from a humble background like Mr Modi becoming the prime minister of the country, he remarked that BJP never raised the issue of the background of Mr Modi, who once used to sell tea, when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat.

"The issue is repeatedly highlighted in public since he became the Prime Minister of India," Mr Raut said while questioning the need for it. On former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav's demand for use of the ballot paper instead of electronic voting machines (EVMs) during elections, the Sena leader added that it was the view
of all political parties in the country, except BJP. (UNI)