Pradhan likens Rahul Gandhi to Mungerilal

Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today likened Congress president Rahul Gandhi to "Mungerilal" for his statement that he could become the Prime Minister in 2019 if his party emerges as the biggest among coalition partners.

"Bhai, koi Mungerilal ko sapna dekhne se mana kar sakta hai (can anyone stop Mungerilal from dreaming)," Pradhan remarked when reporters on sidelines of an industry event asked about Gandhi's statement.

Mungerilal was the main character of the popular show, 'Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne', on Doordarshan in the 1990s. The show was about a clerk who is bullied by his boss in the office and wife at home. His escape from his unpleasant world is through daydreaming where he takes revenge from his boss and also dates his pretty colleague.

Rahul Gandhi had earlier in the day in Bengaluru stated that he can become the Prime Minister if his party emerges as the single largest among all its coalition partners in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

"If the Congress party is the biggest party, yes," he said to a question on his Prime Ministerial aspiration during an interaction with prominent personalities in Bengaluru as part of the launch of Samruddhi Bharat conference here.

Asked to comment on Sonia Gandhi's statement that Prime Minister Narendra Modi only lectures and does not work, Pradhan said the UPA chairperson should look at 3.5 crore free cooking gas (LPG) connections given by his minitry during the last three years.

Of these, 45 per cent have gone to dalits and tribals. "Sonia Gandhiji should look at these numbers and tell if it looks like just a speech or work," Pradhan said accusing the Congress of being a "party of feudal" which could not govern, indulged in corruption and promoted "parivarvad".