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Sam Pitroda's take on how Rahul Gandhi compares with father Rajiv: ‘More strategist’
Gandhi family confidant Sam Pitroda said that Rahul Gandhi is more intellectual and strategist than his father, former PM Rajiv Gandhi.
Long-time confidant of the Gandhi family, Sam Pitroda, asserted that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is more intellectual than his father, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Pitroda described both leaders as "custodians of the idea of India" and said they share the same “DNA of a prime minister.”
In an interview with PTI, Sam Pitroda said Rahul Gandhi possesses all the qualities needed for a successful prime minister as he criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for attacking his image as a leader of the years.
When asked about the similarities and differences between Rajiv Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Pitroda, who has worked closely with several prime ministers including Rajiv Gandhi, PV Narasimha Rao, Manmohan Singh, VP Singh, Chandra Sekhar, and HD Deve Gowda, remarked on the distinct qualities of the two leaders.
"I had an opportunity to see many prime ministers from very close quarters but the difference between Rahul and Rajiv maybe is that Rahul is much more intellectual, thinker, Rajiv was a little more doer. They have the same DNA, they have the same concerns and feelings for the people, they genuinely believe in building a better India for everybody, they are genuinely simple people. They don't have big personal needs," the Congress leader told PTI from Chicago.
Comparing Rahul Gandhi to his father, Pitroda said, “Rahul is a strategist more so than Rajiv was. They are products of different times, different tools, different experiences. Poor Rahul has gone through two big shocks in life, (the death of) his grandmother and his father. So they have had different paths to travel.”
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Taking a veiled jibe at the BJP, Pitroda said, “First of all, the image created in the media was based on a well-orchestrated campaign against an individual where millions and millions of dollars were spent on maligning this young man and when he is highly educated, people said he never went to college.”
He also said that Rahul Gandhi was able to “stand up and survive” against this “false image,” by redeeming himself through the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
"From my personal experience and I may be biased, I think he is very capable. He is a decent human being, he is well educated, he has the right DNA and I see him as the custodian of the idea of democracy that the Congress has always promoted," he said.
(With inputs from PTI)
