Sena will change its view in 6 years: Chidambaram on RS candidature

After Shiv Sena slammed Congress for fielding P Chidambaram as its Rajya Sabha candidate from Maharashtra, the former Union Finance Minister on Tuesday said the saffron party will change its view by the end of his term.

"I have no doubt in my mind that (fellow Congress leader and former Union Home Minister) Sushilkumar Shinde is an extremely deserving candidate and would have brought great honour and distinction if he had been nominated.

"He (Shinde) is a dear friend of mine. But, having said that, I have also no doubt in my mind that six years after today, if I am elected, the Shiv Sena will itself change its mind," Chidambaram told reporters here after filing his nomination.

Shinde who hails from Maharashtra was said to be a contender for RS nomination.

To a question about Congress deputy leader in Lok Sabha Amarinder Singh's statement advocating change in party's leadership, Chidambaram said he was talking "generally" about the need for young leaders to take over.

"What I think he generally said was that young leaders must be allowed to take responsibilities at different levels. He also said he himself was 74 and he wanted young leaders to take over," Chidambaram said.

"I think we must understand the spirit of his statement. Young leaders must take over at different levels in the Congress party. This is something I have been saying for many years now," he added.