01-25-2006, 04:22 AM
Rahul Gandhi Says He Hopes to Lead India
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->By OMER FAROOQ, Associated Press Writer
Mon Jan 23, 6:36 PM ET
Rahul Gandhi, heir to India's pre-eminent political dynasty, told supporters Monday he hopes to lead the country but urged them to be patient as he builds a following.
Gandhi, 35, whose father, grandmother and great-grandfather were all prime ministers of the giant subcontinent nation, has kept a relatively low-profile since being elected to parliament in 2004, focusing on his constituency in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
But he spoke of his aspirations in response to demands from backers of the ruling Congress party at the party's annual convention in this capital of Andhra Pradesh state.
"I assure you I will not let you down," Rahul said.
"There is no fast track to success in creating a leader. You are the first to know that the leadership cannot be created. It has to be built brick by brick."
When the party's convention began on Sunday, several participants tried to storm the dais, demanding that Gandhi occupy the center stage.
Rahul belongs to the Gandhi dynasty â unrelated to Mohandas K. Gandhi, the pacifist and independence leader â which has governed India for 38 of its 58 years as an independent nation. Rahul Gandhi's mother, Sonia, now heads the Congress party.
His father, Rajiv, was prime minister from 1984 until 1989. His grandmother, Indira, ruled twice, from 1966 until 1977, and then from 1980 until she was killed in 1984.
And his great-grandfather, Jawaharlal Nehru, was India's first prime minister, governing from 1947 until his death from natural causes in 1964.
The Harvard-educated Rahul blossomed into an outspoken and charismatic candidate on the campaign trail last year, once stunning his bodyguards Saturday by climbing over the barricades and leaping into the crowd to shake hands with supporters.
Rajiv was killed by a Sri Lankan suicide bomber in 1991, and Rajiv's mother, Indira, was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->By OMER FAROOQ, Associated Press Writer
Mon Jan 23, 6:36 PM ET
Rahul Gandhi, heir to India's pre-eminent political dynasty, told supporters Monday he hopes to lead the country but urged them to be patient as he builds a following.
Gandhi, 35, whose father, grandmother and great-grandfather were all prime ministers of the giant subcontinent nation, has kept a relatively low-profile since being elected to parliament in 2004, focusing on his constituency in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
But he spoke of his aspirations in response to demands from backers of the ruling Congress party at the party's annual convention in this capital of Andhra Pradesh state.
"I assure you I will not let you down," Rahul said.
"There is no fast track to success in creating a leader. You are the first to know that the leadership cannot be created. It has to be built brick by brick."
When the party's convention began on Sunday, several participants tried to storm the dais, demanding that Gandhi occupy the center stage.
Rahul belongs to the Gandhi dynasty â unrelated to Mohandas K. Gandhi, the pacifist and independence leader â which has governed India for 38 of its 58 years as an independent nation. Rahul Gandhi's mother, Sonia, now heads the Congress party.
His father, Rajiv, was prime minister from 1984 until 1989. His grandmother, Indira, ruled twice, from 1966 until 1977, and then from 1980 until she was killed in 1984.
And his great-grandfather, Jawaharlal Nehru, was India's first prime minister, governing from 1947 until his death from natural causes in 1964.
The Harvard-educated Rahul blossomed into an outspoken and charismatic candidate on the campaign trail last year, once stunning his bodyguards Saturday by climbing over the barricades and leaping into the crowd to shake hands with supporters.
Rajiv was killed by a Sri Lankan suicide bomber in 1991, and Rajiv's mother, Indira, was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->