Competent Muslim can become PM, says Rahul Gandhi - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi interacted with the students of the Aligarh Muslim University here today and responding to the questions posed by the university students that how long will it take for India to have its next Muslim Prime Minister, he said religion is not a barrier for anyone to hold the top most post of the country. Only a few selected students were allowed to enter the auditorium to hear Gandhi's speech and to ask questions to him. Screens installed outside the university auditorium broadcast Rahul Gandhi's interaction for the rest of the university students. A Muslim can become the Prime Minister provided he is the most proficient person for it, he added. "It is not about what religion or community you come from, it is what you bring to the table, what capability you have," said the Congress General Secretary. At present, Manmohan Singh is not the Prime Minister of India because he is a Sikh. He is the Prime Minister because he is the most competent person for the job, Gandhi said. Replying to a question put by a university student, Rahul Gandhi said, "You need to step up and the number of leaders coming out of your community needs to go up. You got today a Sikh prime minister that nobody would have ever imagined in a country of over a billion people that we would have a Sikh prime minister. Sikhs are a very small percentage of this country." Rahul Gandhi further added that it was his endeavor to bring together people from diverse religions in the political structure. This was Gandhi's first visit to the premier institution.