New Delhi: Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi has made it clear that if the Congress has to lead the next government, then Dr Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister is not negotiable.
In a candid chat with a small group of journalists in Delhi, NDTV asked Rahul what if the Left refused to accept Singh as the Prime Minister in return for their support. Responding to the question, Rahul said, " From my side, I know - and I do know my mother's views on this - that he is the best prime ministerial candidate. He is our candidate and we are going to stick by him. Like we did in the case of the nuclear deal."
The young Congress leader also said that he didn't feel Left has a sense of betrayal.
"I don't think the Left feels a sense of betrayal. They have their point of view and we have ours. We are clear that we are not going to compromise on what we think is the right direction for the country and for the Congress," said Rahul.
On his assessment of how the Congress will do in the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress general secretary sounded confident of improving the party's tally, however, he did emphasise on the need for a long term approach for the party.
"We will improve our tally. we will win and form the government. The 2004 election hinged on two or three factors. This election is more complicated. I know where we are gaining - Kerala, Orissa, Punjab, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh," said Rahul.