In J&K, Rahul speaks a lot, says nothing

Seemingly trying to downplay Narendra Modi’s elevation, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said his party is more concerned about the performance in the various states rather than the Gujarat chief minister. “It (Modi’s elevation as BJP’s poll panel chief) is their (BJP’s) internal matter. It is not my concern who leads the BJP. My concern is how the Congress party is doing. How we are doing in various states. What is the type of actions we are taking to benefit the people of India,” Rahul told reporters here in reply to a pointed question about Modi’s elevation.

Rahul also avoided direct reply to another query about inviting Bihar chief minister Nitesh Kumar into UPA fold. “These are internal matters of the Congress party. Frankly the decisions are not been made by me personally. The decisions are made by the senior leaders of the Congress party. So it is not for me to give invitation to anybody,” he said.

He also sidetracked the question about when his party was nominating him as the prime ministerial candidate. “You have to ask the Congress party. I have got a job cut out for me,” he said.

Rahul said his focus was on getting job done wherever they are in power or in alliance. “As far as I am concerned I have got one focus that wherever we are in government and wherever we are in partnership we do our job quite aggressively and that is why I have come to Kashmir,” he said.

On lifting AFSPA from J&K, Rahul refused to comment saying it is a matter between the prime minister and the J&K chief minister.