Chennai: DMK president MK Stalin and Tamil film superstar-cum-aspiring politician Rajinikanth on Tuesday separately said that Rahul Gandhi need not resign as president of the Congress taking responsibility for the party”s rout in the recent Lok Sabha polls.
Stalin, the only leader who strongly proposed Rahul Gandhi as Prime Ministerial candidate in the run up to the general elections, called up the Congress president over phone and urged him not to give up leadership of the party. The DMK leader told the Congress president that though he had lost the general elections, he had won the hearts of the people.
However, Rahul Gandhi did not give any assurance to Stalin on his decision to resign, DMK sources said. Meanwhile, actor and aspiring politician Rajinikanth told journalists that there was no need for Rahul Gandhi to quit the party”s leadership position. He blamed senior Congress leaders, whom he did not name, for the party”s debacle.
“The thing is it very difficult to handle the Congress party. Senior-most people are there. So as a youngster it is difficult (for Rahul). In my observation, the senior leaders have not cooperated,” he said adding that Rahul should stand firm and not resign. Besides, while the ruling party is in a majority, a strong opposition party is also very important, he said.
The actor, considered a good friend of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said that there was a Modi wave in India – except in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. In Tamil Nadu, he said there was an anti-Modi wave and hence others won in the wave.
He praised Modi saying he was a charismatic leader in India in the league of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. And therefore this victory in the general elections for the BJP was a victory for Modi”s leadership.
