Ending gap between rich & poor more vital than being PM: Rahul

RAIPUR: Ending the wide disparity between rich and poor in the country is more important than being the prime minister, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi said here on Friday.

"Today, there are two worlds in the country. One which is progressing very fast and another the backward one, which includes states like Chhattisgarh. Working towards making both the worlds progress and develop simultaneously is more important for me than being the prime minister," Gandhi told reporters during his two-day visit to the state to review elections in National Students Union of India.

"The poor in the country do not have any identity. At times, even the ration card provided to them turns out to be fake...To deal with such problems it is very important that an identity is provided to all," he said referring to the UPA government's ambitious project to provide a unique identity card to all people in the country.

On Naxal menace, Gandhi said, the Chhattisgarh government is not doing enough to deal with Naxalism. "I have already said that Naxalism will prosper wherever the benefits of welfare schemes do not reach. Chhattisgarh is suffering because of the same problem," he said.