Rahul might be prime ministerial candidate

Bhopal, Mar 30: Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh did not rule out possibility of AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi as a prime Ministerial candidate in next round of general elections. While replying to a query, he said, "Why not. He is young. This is the age of youth. More than 60 per cent of country's population consists of youth."

However, he did not comment directly whether Rahul would be projected as prime ministerial candidate. Though Arjun refrained from saying that the young AICC general secretary should be projected as prime minister, Arjun is the first senior minister to have raised the issue of Rahul donning the mantle. His remarks came in only days after NCP insisting that Manmohan Singh should be projected as prime ministerial candidate during 2009 Lok Sabha polls. Singh was talking to media persons here on Sunday. He expressed dissatisfaction over the four and a half years of BJP rule in Madhya Pradesh. He hoped that that the state Congress would bring its act together and win November 2008 assembly polls.

The Union Minister expressed concern over the pace of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) 'education for all' progress in some states including Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.  "These states including Madhya Pradesh and Bihar are not doing well as far as SSA was concerned and I will myself review the situation in these states in the days to come," Arjun said. On price rise, Arjun hoped that this ministerial colleague and union finance Minister P Chidambaram would soon be taking necessary steps to check the rising prices. "Rise in prices is the biggest contemporary problem," he said in response to media queries Arjun was cautious when asked about fee hike in IIMs. "Look at the fabulous packages that the on-campus placement are offering," the minister said.