Cong not bothered about Modi's nomination for PM post: Patel

Expresses confidence that Congress will do well in the upcoming assembly polls in five states

Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, has said that his party was not bothered about Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's nomination as BJP's prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

"Modi's nomination does not make any difference to Congress. We are not bothered about it. It is the prerogative of a political party to nominate its candidate for the post," Patel told reporters in Bharuch last night.

Referring to Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi's recent visit to Gujarat, Patel said that the state unit of the party has become more "energetic" after that.

"Gandhi's visit has inspired Congress workers. He asked them to unite and observe party discipline," Patel said.

He expressed confidence that Congress would perform well in the upcoming assembly polls in Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram.

Patel attended the executive committee meeting of Bharuch district unit of the party and asked the party workers to bury differences with the aim of defeating the BJP. The executive meeting adopted several resolutions asking party workers to launch agitation after CAG's report on corruption involving Rs 1 lakh crore and also against Modi government's "failure" in appointing Lokayukta in Gujarat. The resolution also demanded adequate compensation for the farmers of Bharuch district, who suffered losses due to heavy rains and floods in the district.