Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, May 24: Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Sunday took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying his political future was bright only as Leader of Opposition and not as prime minister.

Speaking to reporters, Athawale said Gandhi’s dream of becoming prime minister was unlikely to be fulfilled.

“Rahul Gandhi’s future is very good, but as Leader of Opposition. It is difficult for him to become prime minister,” the Union minister said.

Athawale further remarked in a lighter vein that Gandhi would not become prime minister as long as he remained with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“I want to say that Rahul Gandhi’s dream of becoming prime minister will not be fulfilled as long as I am with Narendra Modi,” he said.

Athawale’s Republican Party of India (A) is an ally of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

The Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment also claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party had secured major victories in recent Assembly elections, including in West Bengal, and said the Congress would find it difficult to secure a parliamentary majority on its own in the future.