Rahul Gandhi will not say no to PM post if UPA requests after polls, says Congress

Congress today said that Rahul Gandhi will have no hesitation in taking over as prime minister if the Congress-led UPA makes a request in the event of UPA returning to power. "Rahul Gandhi has said on more than one occasion that he will follow suggestions and recommendations of the Congress-led UPA post elections," party spokesman Sanjay Jha told reporters. "We will follow protocol prevalent in India......He will not say no if he is requested," Jha said.

He suggested that unlike BJP, Congress has not announced its PM candidate as "there are certain Constitutional provisions in India" where elected Members of Parliament elect their leader. The Lok Sabha polls will witness a virtual contest between Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi.

At the outset, Jha hailed the announcement of the poll schedule and claimed that the Congress-led UPA will come to power after the polls and dismissed suggestions that allies are deserting the Congress. Taking a dig at Modi, he said that the country need a leader who listens more and talks less. "Many leaders say that India needs a leader who has a 56-cm chest. What the country needs a leader who has a big heart, who is compassionate and who empathise with the poor and marginalised," Jha said.