Time for new generation leadership, says Shashi Tharoor

NEW DELHI: Union Minister and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said time has come for next generation leadership in the country and the party will decide on the issue of projecting Rahul Gandhi as PM candidate against BJP's Narendra Modi.

"Party will decide on it. We do not have presidential election system," he said outside Parliament when asked whether Rahul Gandhi should be projected as the party's PM candidate against Modi.

"Cong has a full-fledged leadership. We also have good second generation leadership," he added.

After the rout of Congress in the recently held assembly elections, a debate is being raised in the Congress party as to whether Rahul should be projected as PM candidate in the coming Lok Sabha elections.

"Rahul is not an young man but he is also not an old man. He has energy. Time is coming up for new generation," he said.

He further said elections are fought on the basis of policies and programmes.

"People know the value system in the Congress and people are also aware of BJP. People's are also aware of Modi given his record in Gujarat since 2002. Elections has to be fought on the basis of programmes and policies."

On the recent verdict, Tharoor said, "Congress party has always respected the verdict of the voters. There were many occasions in the past that Congress party had lost the elections and had reclaimed the trust of the voters later on. So we hope that this should be an opportunity to do introspection."

Whether there is a wide gap between the government and the organisation which has impacted the results, he said, "I do not think there is any wide gap between the party and the government. Government implements party's programmes and policies."

He, however, said though many good schemes were implemented in the last few years by the UPA, it could not be conveyed across the country.

"There were many schemes implemented during the last nine and half years and there were many changes during this time. But we are not been able to get this message across. As a result negativism has carried the day but the truth is that lot of positive things have happened."