Like a magnet, Rahul will attract parties to fight BJP: Veerappa Moily

Rahul Gandhi, who is poised to become the Congress president, has the capability to bring together other like-minded parties for a joint fight against the BJP, senior party leader M Veerappa Moily said today.

The former Union minister also said that the Congress vice president had acquired certain qualities of his great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru and grandmother Indira Gandhi.

Moily rejected the criticism that the Congress indulged in a "dynastic rule" within the party, saying that if Rahul Gandhi wanted to become the prime minister, he could have done so (during the 2004-2014 UPA rule).

"Rahul is known for his humility and the other parties would definitely cooperate with him, given his absolute sense in taking democracy, secularism and socialism forward," the former Karnataka chief minister told PTI.

"He (Rahul) is more like a magnet to attract the parties, which do not believe in communal politics. Such parties will have a natural tendency to go along with Rahul," Moily said.

"Apart from consolidating the Congress, he (Rahul) will ensure that there is a proper understanding between all the like-minded parties, an understanding to jointly fight the communal elements," he added.

The former Union law minister said Rahul had undergone a lot of "trials and tribulations", gained experience in governance and strengthening the organisation and evolved as a "dynamic leader".

"He (Rahul) has acquired the qualities, particularly of Jawaharlal Nehru, his vision for the country, for secularism and socialistic ideas, with an excellent rooting in the heritage of the country which Nehru possessed.

"Rahul could have even become the prime minister or a powerful minister (during the UPA rule), but he preferred to strengthen the organisation in a big way, which is a great quality," the Congress veteran said.

"He is not like Narendra Modi who shot into the national scene suddenly," he added.

Moily said if the Congress indeed indulged in a dynastic rule, Rahul would have become prime minister long back.

"He is a democratically elected leader now. Do you see even an inch of a democratic path adopted by the BJP, while elevating Amit Shah (to the post of party chief) or Narendra Modi (to the post of prime minister)? No," he added.

Shah and Modi had "emerged" in a "dictatorial environment", unlike Rahul, Moily alleged.

Rahul also possessed the "toughness" of Indira Gandhi in taking firm and bold decisions, he said.

The senior Congress leader also rejected the suggestion that the party was going through an existential crisis, saying that could never be the case.

"Even in 1977, when Indira Gandhi lost the (Lok Sabha) polls, everyone had said there was an existential crisis for the party. But it bounced back within two-and-a-half years. The Congress has such an inherent quality," Moily said.