Jaffer Sharief hits out at Rahul for preferring youth, says Modi not 'untouchable'

Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SHS)

Mangalore Mar 15: In an interview to a vernacular daily of Karnataka, former union minister and veteran Congress leader Jaffer Sharief, who was denied the Lok Sabha ticket, hit out against party vice-president Rahul Gandhi for his new policy of giving Lok Sabha tickets to more youths and contended that age should not be the key factor in the selection of candidates.

Frustrated on being deprived of the ticket despite being a senior leader, he lashed out at the party and said, "Has anyone managed overcome the problem of aging? Age is something beyond human control. I do not understand why the Congress party is emphasizing on age factor in this LS elections.

"I do not care for the ticket. Congress cannot strangle me and moreover I am an optimist not a pessimist," he said.

Further expressing his personal opinion on party leader Rahul Gandhi, he said Rahul is not immature. "Even Rajiv Gandhi was young when he became the Prime Minister. Experience came to him as he progressed in politics," he said.

Jaffer Sharief mocking the Congress over its mantra of youth empowerment, said people who are today speaking of youth would also grow old and understand the value of seniority in time.

Blaming it on 'fate', Sharief said that one should believe in the Almighty. "Can a person script his own fate? If such was the case, Indira Gandhi's assassination could have been stopped prior to the actual incident. But one should develop courage in life," he added.

At the same time, he said BJP PM candidate Narendra Modi is not ‘untouchable’.
 
"Modi has expressed his regret over the Godhra riots and hence it is not right to call him 'untouchable'," he asserted.

Batting for President Pranab Mukherjee, he said he has every potential and credential to become the Prime Minister. "However, with the party offering him the post of President, has distorted his dream of assuming the PM's post," he said.

He also launched a scathing attack on union minister Rehman Khan and claimed that he is not a leader who represents the minority community.
 
In the interview, Sharief expressed his admiration for JD(S) supremo Deve Gowda, terming him as a fighter, thus signalling that he may hop over to JD(S) anytime soon.