Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on NDTV's Battleground
Lucknow:
The Congress should have decided earlier on announcing Rahul Gandhi as Prime Minister, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has said.
Speaking on NDTV's Battleground, Mr Yadav, whose father Mulayam Singh is the chief of the Samajwadi Party, also agreed that the Congress was losing the perception war; the BJP was far ahead in the campaign.
"It is a difficult question. I can say that Congress people were too late. They should have decided earlier," Mr Yadav, 40, said when asked whether it would have been right to announce Rahul Gandhi as prime ministerial candidate now or after the national election.
He said he believed there was a wave against the Congress. "Congress leaders have worked very hard. But somewhere, they have been unable to understand their government's failures and the impact on people," he commented.
NDTV's latest opinion poll shows a big surge for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, the country's most populous state, which elects 80 parliamentarians, more than any other state.
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance with Narendra Modi as its prime ministerial candidate is likely to post its best performance yet.
The Samajwadi Party is not a member of the incumbent Congress-led government at the Centre, but has provided crucial external support to help push through key legislation. The party has also not fielded candidates against Rahul and Sonia Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh, as a "gesture of courtesy".
Asked about what the BJP describes as a "Modi wave" in the country, Mr Yadav said, "The BJP has used TV and newspapers to project themselves, and they are far ahead in that. But people of UP know that BJP leaders are very cunning. These are the same people who once fed milk to (Ganesha) statues across the country."
Speaking on NDTV's Battleground, Mr Yadav, whose father Mulayam Singh is the chief of the Samajwadi Party, also agreed that the Congress was losing the perception war; the BJP was far ahead in the campaign.
"It is a difficult question. I can say that Congress people were too late. They should have decided earlier," Mr Yadav, 40, said when asked whether it would have been right to announce Rahul Gandhi as prime ministerial candidate now or after the national election.
He said he believed there was a wave against the Congress. "Congress leaders have worked very hard. But somewhere, they have been unable to understand their government's failures and the impact on people," he commented.
NDTV's latest opinion poll shows a big surge for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, the country's most populous state, which elects 80 parliamentarians, more than any other state.
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance with Narendra Modi as its prime ministerial candidate is likely to post its best performance yet.
The Samajwadi Party is not a member of the incumbent Congress-led government at the Centre, but has provided crucial external support to help push through key legislation. The party has also not fielded candidates against Rahul and Sonia Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh, as a "gesture of courtesy".
Asked about what the BJP describes as a "Modi wave" in the country, Mr Yadav said, "The BJP has used TV and newspapers to project themselves, and they are far ahead in that. But people of UP know that BJP leaders are very cunning. These are the same people who once fed milk to (Ganesha) statues across the country."
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