In an interview to The Quint after the final rally of the election campaign, Congress President Rahul Gandhi refused to be drawn into speculation on government formation, post-poll alliances or who would become prime minister of the country after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
When asked about whether the Congress government would be flexible in its approach to government formation in the event of a hung Parliament, Gandhi said:
“I’m not going to comment on that until I have it clearly in front of me, the decision of the people of India. It would be insulting for me to start pre-judging them and start commenting on what they’re going to do. I will give you the answer to that question on the 23rd.”Congress President Rahul Gandhi
Gandhi was speaking to The Quint’s Editor-in Chief Raghav Bahl and Editorial Director Sanjay Pugalia after wrapping up his final speech in Solan, Himachal Pradesh, which goes to polls in the final phase on 19 May.
When questioned about senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad’s statement on Wednesday that the Congress party would not stand in the way of an opposition government without a Congress PM, Gandhi was clear that the party would wait to see the results of the general elections on 23 May.
“I’ve made it very clear that we have to respect the opinion of the masters. The masters are these people,” he said, gesturing to the crowd gathered behind him. He went on to say:
“They are going to decide what’s going to happen. So anything that is said prior to that decision on the 23rd is premature. I’m not making any comments on government formation or any of that stuff. I’m very clear. They’re going to give their decision the moment they give the decision, there will be complete clarity. Before that I’m not going to insult their position, insult their status by saying I will do this or I will do that. And that goes for the entire Congress party.”Congress President Rahul Gandhi
Gandhi was also bullish about the Congress and other opposition parties’ abilities to counter any attempt by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to stake a claim to form the government on the basis that they will be the single-largest party, saying:
“There won’t be a single-largest party. If you’re going to give me a hypothetical, I’ll respond on that basis: the question of a single largest party doesn’t arise at all. But my main point is this: the government will be formed on the basis of what the people say. They haven’t spoken yet, as soon as they do, things will be clear. Wait for three-four days.”Congress President Rahul Gandhi
He also dismissed the risk of having only a limited window to press the claims of the parties who have fought against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and insisted that the mandate of the people would define what would happen, not realpolitik considerations.
It was clear that he and the Congress party are now keeping their cards close to the chest and looking to avoid any conflict with their allies by making loose statements about the leadership of any alliance to form the government.
Asked about the choices available to the opposition for PM of India if they were to succeed: someone from the Congress lineage, a Dalit woman, or maybe someone from south India. Laughing that this was the same question as before in a different form, he firmly reiterated that they would wait to see how people voted.
“The people will decide on 23rd, and the people are the masters. As soon as the people make their decision, we will give you the answer. To say anything before that is disrespect to the people.”Congress President Rahul Gandhi
Watch the rest of the interview for his answers on NYAY and how the Congress intends to reinvigorate the economy, the internal conflicts within the Congress party, and why he thinks Narendra Modi’s foreign policy has been a failure.
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