Time to project Rahul Gandhi as Congress' PM candidate: Kamal Nath

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath on Wednesday suggested it is time to project Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate of the Congress Party for the 2014 elections.

"I don't think the election is inevitable. The election will take place when it has to take place, at the scheduled time. As things stand now, there is no possibility," Kamal Nath said when asked for responsive to rumours of mid-term polls.

Describing Rahul Gandhi as the Congress' number 2, Nath said he "now has all his 10 fingers in, he has served as vice-president and he should be projected as the prime ministerial candidate for the Congress Party."

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he said, "has served his 10 years."

However, while the Congress-led UPA-II Government celebrated its four years in power, the BJP tore into Prime Minister Singh, with Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj saying, "I have to say this unfortunately, that the PM is not a leader. He looks at Sonia Gandhi for every decision."

In the 2009 general elections, the Congress emerged as the single largest party in the Lok Sabha, securing 206 to the 543-member Lok Sabha. It was able to gain a majority and form the government with the help of its regional allies.