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Former union minister and Congress general secretary Oscar Fernandes who has been acting as trouble shooter for Congress president Sonia Gandhi told rediff.com in an exclusive conversation that Rahul Gandhi was ready to take over as the prime minister of India.
"He could have taken over yesterday, he could take over today and he could take over even tomorrow. Congress president Sonia Gandhi, has already gone on record saying that Dr Manmohan Singh would be the prime minister of the country," Fernandes said.
Fernandes begins his day at 0630 hrs does two hours of Yoga everyday. One of the most dedicated leaders of the Congress, he often works till late into the night before he hits the bed. When he reaches his office at VithalBhai Patel House, children make a bee-line to receive matharis from him. He makes sure that he distributes these sweets himself.
Appointed as an interlocutor by the government to hold talks with the leaders of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland, Fernandes is now ready to pick up the threads. " Now that the elections are over, it is time to start talking with the NSCN leadership. The government delegation has already left for Europe to meet them. We have already narrowed down the differences and I am confident that the issue would be clinched soon," Fernandes told rediff.com.
Discussing Bharatiya Janata Party's dismal performance Fernandes felt they suffered the lack of a points man. The party's strategy, like in 2004, did not work after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee fell sick. " Advani was a man in hurry. He kept on calling Dr Manmohan Singh as weak prime minister and the result was the more he hit out at the prime minister who steered the country from global recession, The Stronget the PM became, just as Soniaji became stronger when she was under fire from the BJP," he said.
According to him this is just the beginning of the revival of the Congress party. " Led by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Doctor Manmohan Singh, the party got wonderful support from Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. We were expecting 185-195 seats but Soniaji as party president had access to information that we did not have and that is why she said the party would get 200 plus. We got six more. All because of the tireless efforts of our leadership. The PM recovered in time to lend support to Mrs Gandhi who had the vision of declaring Dr Singh as the party's choice for the prime ministership for second term. I saw the phenomenal response the PM got at at a rally in North Delhi," said the veteran Karnatake leader.