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Congress president Sonia Gandhi summoned Human Resources Development Minister Arjun Singh. According to the sources Sonia is upset with Arjun Singh for projecting Rahul as PM candidate for upcoming Loksabha polls in 2009.

Senior Congress leader Arjun Singh has stated on Monday that that Rahul Gandhi, the general secretary of Congress has all the qualities of his father and is the right choice for the Prime Ministerial candidate in the upcoming Lok Sabha election in 2009. Later Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee has also supported the statement which gives rise to a hot debate. DMK minister Karunannidhi and NCP also joined the squad to support Rahul for Prime Ministerial candidate.

However, on Tuesday Congress spokesman Jayanti Natraj denied all these declarations saying that these statements were mere speculations and Congress is not serious about the issue. Later Sonia Gandhi summoned Arjun Singh to discuss the issue.

On the other side, Arjun Singh said that he is affirmed on his statement and he had not said anything wrong.

Tags: Arjun Singh, Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi

Senior Congress leader Arjun Singh said on Monday that Rahul Gandhi, the general secretary of Congress, is the right choice for the Prime Ministerial candidate in the upcoming Lok Sabha election in 2009.

He said that he has all the qualities of his father, late Sh. Rajiv Gandhi and there seems nothing wrong to name him for the post.

“Why not,” he shot back in an interview to agencies when asked whether a young leader should be projected for the top job as like it happened in 1984 when Rajiv Gandhi took over as the youngest Prime Minister after the assassination of Indira Gandhi.

“He (Rahul) has all the qualities of his father. He is making sincere efforts in acquiring the information and knowledge that is required”, the HRD minister said when specifically asked about the MP from Amethi, who is being depicted as the youth icon by the party.

On whether Congress should fight the next elections in a coalition or should fight it on its own to regain its lost ground, he avoided a direct answer. “This question you should put to others. I am not competent enough to answer that,” he said.

Singh, who had played a proactive role on the OBC reservation issue, said that UPA coordination committee would meet soon after the reconvening of parliament session on April 15 to sort out differences among allies on the creamy layer issue.

The HRD minister said a communication would be sent to the institutions, including IIMs, this week on the admission process.

On the burning subject of inflation, he said that government is making efforts to check the price hike but it will take some time to bring the effect of the efforts. He admitted that the issue will definitely impact on upcoming elections.

The price rise would be a thing of the past by the time the country goes to polls, Singh said.

Tags: Arjun Singh, Gandhi, India, PM, Rahul Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi