Zeenews Bureau

Rae Bareli: Priyanka Gandhi on Sunday said the central focus of her brother Rahul Gandhi's politics is not to become Prime Minister and the question does not arise at the moment.

"I do not think that is the central focus of his politics. We have an extremely good Prime Minister. We are fortunate to have a person who is honest and works well and I don't think this question arises at the moment," Priyanka told reporters here.

She was replying to a question on whether the time has come for Rahul to become Prime Minister, a demand that is frequently made by sections within the Congress.

The 40-year-old daughter of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who was all-praise for Rahul and his contribution to building up the Congress in Uttar Pradesh, said he is more concerned about his work than worrying about how the election results would impact his reputation.

"It his work that matters. He is not concerned about his reputation. Only cowards don't lead from the front," she said.

Priyanka said that before the 2007 Assembly elections Rahul had explained to her that though Congress was not organisationally strong in UP. He wanted to get involved as his concern was building up the party and work for the welfare of the state.

She asserted that Rahul was not working for a reputation but for change.

"As I understand it, the mandate my brother is trying to set is for development of the state," said Priyanka, who is campaigning for the UP assembly polls.

Priyanka said Rahul does not see his career in terms of holding the post of party president or becoming the Prime Minister and it is the media which thinks so.

"You all see his career as that, he does not. Neither do we, members of his family, see it in that manner. We concern ourselves with work. Rahul has brought a big change in youth Congress. He is bringing democracy in the organisation which is not there in any party. Free, fair and democratic internal elections do not take place in any other party," she said.

She maintained that this step would impact politics and the political parties in the country.

However, she did not rule out Rahul holding any post, saying if his work requires him to do so, he will.

With the imminent UP polls setting the stage for a fiery contest, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra continued to hit the campaign trail hard on Sunday, reiterating that the successive governments in the last 22 years have ruined UP.

Addressing a public rally in Raebareli, Priyanka slammed BSP, SP and BJP for UP’s plight, without mentioning their names, saying, “Since last 22 years, there has been a politics of opportunism in the state. The leaders, who ask for votes in the name of castes and religion, forget their duties once they come to power”.

The star campaigner of Congress, with looks reminiscent of Indira Gandhi, ricocheted her call to the UP electorate to exercise their right of franchise carefully, saying it were them who will be at loss if they didn’t vote meticulously.

“If there are people, who think that power is an opportunity to foster their own welfare, then only you (UP electorate) can make them learn a lesson. Time has come when you have to ask yourself – don’t you want to see a bright and strong future for you and your kids?” said Priyanka.

“If you don’t vote, it’s not the Congress or the leaders who will be at loss; it will be you who will be harmed. If there has been a politics that has rejected you, only you are responsible for it,” added Priyanka Vadra.

Raising the pitch in favour of Rahul, she assured the people that had they elected Congress in last 10 years, there would have been much more development in UP.

Though Congress has been in a political wilderness in UP since long, it has been buoyed up since the last Lok Sabha elections in 2009 when Rahul Gandhi, projected future leader and potential prime minister, succeeded in securing 22 of the 80 seats in the state, sending a shock wave among the party's detractors.

Party leaders claim that Rahul will pass the test in UP with "flying colours".

Praising Manmohan Singh, Priyanka said that the PM is "extremely good" and a question of change does not arise at the moment.

"We are fortunate to have a person who is honest and works well," she told reporters here.

Asked about the allegations against Home Minister P Chidambaram in the 2G spectrum case, Priyanka said she feels "sad" about the attacks on him.

"I feel as the Home Minister he has an onerous and huge responsibility towards the people of this country. I feel sad when he has to waste his time responding to the rants of people who are not concerned about the kind of issues he has to deal with...," she said.

Priyanka maintained that she feels in a similar way with regard to the attacks on the UPA government.

"I feel sad on how much time is wasted on not allowing the government to function," she said, adding that this takes away precious time.

With UP going to the first phase of Assembly polls on February 8, Congress is leaving no stone unturned to fetch a win in UP this time.

With PTI inputs