At a time when members in the treasury and opposition benches in parliament are slugging it out over the Liberhan Commission report on the Babri Masjid demolition, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was smartly doing his bit to carve out a following among minorities, especially Muslims.
Rahul, in fact, was dressed for the occasion. He wore a kashti numa topi (boat-shaped cap) typical of Muslims, particularly in Kashmir. But the import of Rahul’s headgear was not lost on the audience. His statements also drew applause from the gathering.
Addressing students at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on Monday, Rahul said, “Anyone can become the prime minister in this country… Religion won’t come in the way… Even a Muslim can get the top job, provided he is capable and has the necessary qualifications.”
In response to a question on when India will have its first Muslim PM, he reiterated, “It’s not about what religion or community you belong to… It’s what you bring to the table and what capability you have that is important.”
“Manmohan Singh is not the prime minister because he’s a Sikh. He is the PM because he’s the most capable person for the job. Even when you do have a Muslim prime minister, he will be a prime minister because he is the most capable person and not because he’s a Muslim,” Rahul said.
The Congress leader, who was in Aligarh to find prospective Youth Congress leaders, told students there was a need for more leaders from the Muslim community.
“Today, you have a Sikh prime minister. Nobody would have ever imagined in a country of over a billion people that we would have a Sikh prime minister. Sikhs form a small percentage of (the population in) this country,” he said.
Rahul said his effort was to involve people from different communities in the political system. He said he grew up in a family where caste and religion were irrelevant. “I don’t see caste, I only see Indians,” he said. Earlier, there was chaos on the campus as the crowds waiting for Rahul went berserk. The Congress MP, who was expected at 8.30 am, arrived two hours late.
