Can Rahul Gandhi Become PM In 2019? Mamata Banerjee Has Her Doubts

New Delhi: Mamata Banerjee, the West Bengal Chief Minister who has taken the lead role to shape an anti-BJP front, on Friday responded to Rahul Gandhi's statement that he was ready to be the Prime Minister if the Congress emerged as the single largest party in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Ms Banerjee said Mr Gandhi "is free to give his opinion".

"But the fact is, in the present situation of the country, the Congress can never have a majority of its own," the Trinamool Congress chief told a Bengali news channel, according to news agency Press Trust of India.

Instead, Ms Banerjee said, the federal front that she and other regional parties promote, will be "the future".

"Various regional parties will emerge victorious in their respective states. Federal Front of regional parties is the future. If regional parties come together and form a platform, it would be good for the country," she said in an interview to Bengali news channel 'Zee 24Ghanta'.

But could she lead this front of regional parties?

Ms Banerjee, 63, didn't give a clear answer.

Everybody will work like a "united family" and whatever is good for the country will be done, she said.

Ms Banerjee predicated the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Telangana Rashtriya Samiti and the Telugu Desam Party will perform well in the Lok Sabha polls.

She also prophesised neither the Congress nor the BJP would get a clear majority in the Karnataka assembly elections. In such a situation, she added, former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda's Janata Dal Secular would play the kingmaker's role. Or even be the king.

"The Congress should have worked more tactfully with HD Deve Gowda, it would have helped them," she said, according to PTI.

The Bengal chief minister's mildly-worded rebuttal to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi comes against the backdrop of a soft campaign on and off social media that pitches her as the next prime minister. "Let's get a Bengali Prime Minister this time," says a campaign on Facebook by Trinamool supporters.

Trinamool leaders also had earlier spoken how their party boss was prime ministerial material and had the right experience to replace PM Narendra Modi.

It is a pitch that grew louder after Rahul Gandhi's elevation as party chief in December last. His elevation was a signal for many that Rahul Gandhi would be the Congress face for PM in 2019.

It hadn't gone unnoticed that Ms Banerjee did not congratulate him then nor for the Congress's improved performance in Gujarat. She, however, congratulated Hardik Patel and Jignesh Mevani for their poll success.

During her Delhi visit in March when she had advocated making the Akhilesh Yadav-Mayawati combine's success in defeating the BJP in its stronghold, Gorakhpur, as a template for opposition unity, Ms Banerjee had reached out to Rahul's mother, Sonia Gandhi, to seek her support.

"I told her what the country wants is that there should be a state-wise, one-on-one fight with the BJP... We want the Congress to win Karnataka because the Congress is strong there," she had then said.