Barabanki, Aug 20: In comments that can stoke a fresh controversy, Union Minister Beni Prasad Verma on Monday said the next Lok Sabha elections will see a direct fight between Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi.
A day after he said that Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav was “dreaming” of becoming Prime Minister, Mr. Verma on Monday said that parties like Samajwadi Party do not have an all-India presence and hence cannot form a government at the centre.
“The government (at the centre) will either be of Congress or Modi. Why they (SP) are misleading. Does the public not understand all this.... If Rahul Gandhi is our candidate, then the election in the 2014 will be Rahul Gandhi versus Gujrat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. No other party is in between,” Mr. Verma said.
The Union Minister, however, steered clear of drawing parallels between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Mr. Gandhi saying, “If Rahul Gandhi will become Prime Minister, he will do so with the blessing of Manmohan Singh.”
Mr. Verma also hailed Dr. Singh, stating that the country will never get such a “gentle” person as Prime Minister. “The whole world considers him an honest person except the Opposition parties in our country,” he said.
Mr. Verma said that he had always wanted Mr. Gandhi to become the Prime Minister, but the decision on when he would assume the role has to be taken by the Congress president and Dr. Singh.
Keywords: Beni Prasad Verma, 2014 elections, Lok Sabha polls 2014, Rahul Gandhi, Narendra Modi, national politics
