TNN | Jan 2, 2013, 05.24 AM IST
PUDUCHERRY: Congress president Sonia Gandhi is the ultimate authority to decide on the party's prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Union minister of state in the PMO V Narayanasamy said on Tuesday. He was responding to a question about DMK president M Karunanidhi's endorsement of Union finance minister P Chidambaram as a prime ministerial candidate.
Speaking to reporters, Narayanasamy said AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi "is our future leader". He added there are several eligible persons including Chidambaram in the party who could become Prime Minister but chose not to elaborate.
He refused to comment on the media reports that Chidambaram will contest from Puducherry parliamentary constituency. But he pledged his support to any candidate nominated by Sonia Gandhi to contest from Puducherry.
He brushed aside the allegation that the Centre discriminates against states ruled by non-Congress parties and pointed out that the Centre sanctioned Rs 3,500 crore to Uttar Pradesh to implement Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Tamil Nadu received the second largest quantum of funds (Rs 3,000 crore) under this scheme, Narayanasamy said to drive home the point that Centre is not biased against states ruled by non-Congress parties.
Narayanasamy said the Tamil Nadu government has failed to initiate efforts to address the issues faced by the state's fishermen. He claimed that the external affairs ministry wrote twice to the Tamil Nadu government asking the state to facilitate dialogue between Tamil and Sri Lankan fishermen to demarcate their zones for fishing. But the Tamil Nadu government has not responded to the suggestion, he said.
He was of the opinion that the problems faced by TN and Puducherry fishermen can be solved by arriving at a mutual agreement between representatives of fishermen here and their counterparts in the island nation.
He maintained that power generation at the Kudankulam nuclear power project will commence shortly.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Sonia-to-decide-PM-candidate-Rahul-future-leader-says-Narayanasamy/articleshow/17850688.cms