Rahul Gandhi Has A 'Consistency' Issue : Sharad Pawar

Pune: Commenting on Rahul Gandhi's credentials as national leader, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday said that he seems to lack "consistency" to some extent.

Pawar, an ally of the Congress, however, took exception to Barack Obama's unflattering comments on the Congress leader. Pawar was being interviewed by Lokmat Media chairman and former member of parliament Vijay Darda.

When asked if the country was ready to accept Rahul Gandhi as leader, Pawar said, "There are some questions in this regard. There seems to be less consistency."

Obama, in his recently published memoir, said that the Congress leader appeared to be like a student eager to impress the teacher but lacked the aptitude and passion to master the subject.

When asked about this, Pawar said it was not necessary that we accept everybody's view.

"I can say anything about the leadership in our country. But I will not talk about the leadership in another country. One should maintain that limit....I think Obama crossed that limit," he said.

When asked about the Congress's future and if Rahul Gandhi was becoming a "hurdle" for the party, Pawar said the leadership of any party depends on what kind of acceptance he or she has within the organisation.

"Though I had (my) differences with (Congress chief) Sonia Gandhi and the family, even today, Congressmen have a sense of affection for the Gandhi-Nehru family," said the NCP chief, who had quit the Congress over leadership issues two decades ago.

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