 | « Back to article | Print this article |
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said his party's victory was a rejection of the politics of caste and religion and acceptance of "clean and honest" politics symbolised by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
However, he parried questions on his joining the Cabinet which the prime minister had earlier in the day said he would like.
At an impromptu interaction with the media in Amethi, Rahul complimented Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani for giving a "strong fight" in the Lok Sabha polls but said he differed fundamentally with his politics of "changing the secular traditions".
"This election is a testament of the fact that the youth of the country wants unification and believes in clean and honest politics which Manmohan Singh embodies," Rahul said.
He said he was happy that the "young and poor people" of the country have given the mandate to his party.
Asked whether he would join the Cabinet, Rahul said he had a job to help the youth of the country.
"I want to say that youth should come to politics and should change the way politics currently functions. I have got a job to do to help the youth of this country," he said.
To a question whether his party got more seats because of his efforts, Rahul said: "People of Uttar Pradesh have rejected the politics of caste and religion and voted for development."
Asked whether the credit for his party's victory should go to him, he pointed to his sister Priyanka standing by his side who said the full credit should go to Rahul.
However, he added, "One cannot do it on his own. If one has to achieve anything in life it has to be a team effort. Teamwork is important. The 100 per cent goes to our team."