Rahul Gandhi, Congress’ farmer-politician

September 30th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Congress party general secretary Rahul Gandhi has said that people in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra had whole heartedly welcomed his visits to Dalit houses. Addressing National Students Union of India (NSUI) activists at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Gandhi said: " When I go to their houses, they welcome and cuddle me and say you are the first politician who has come to meet us." He said he was left wondering about the criticism made against his visits to these houses.

September 28th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Actor-turned BJP politician Shatrughan Sinha has refused to apologise or retract his comments on Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi. It may be recalled that on Sunday, Sinha had openly praised Gandhi in Nagpur, describing him as a well brought up person who had a bright future before him.

August 13th, 2009 AMETHI - Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi will visit Amethi from August 17. According to party sources, Rahul is expected to pay surprise visits to some villages in the constituency.

July 17th, 2009 AMETHI - Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi will arrive here today on a three-day visit. According to party sources, Rahul is expected to pay surprise visit to some villages in the constituency.

June 29th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Rahul Gandhi, who? A farmer, interested in promoting primary education and empowerment of the Dalits and oppressed people. This is how reads the detailed bio-data of the Congress general secretary, furnished to the Lok Sabha for its records.

May 28th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The face of the victorious Congress election campaign, General Secretary Rahul Gandhi has maintained that he prefers to do one thing at a time. "I want to work for the Congress party because I believe in doing one thing at a time.

May 22nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - As the buzz about whether he would become a minister intensified Friday, Rahul Gandhi categorically said his first job was to strengthen the Congress party. 'Elections come and go.

May 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - As the television studios discussed the possibility of Rahul Gandhi's inclusion in the Cabinet, the man at the centre of it all said only time will show whether he would join the Ministry or work for the party. "Only time will show," Gandhi told reporters here.

May 16th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Thanking the people of the country for the Congress led UPA's stupendous performance in the 2009 general elections, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said that he would try to make party general secretary Rahul Gandhi a part of the new cabinet. Addressing media persons jointly with UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi at 10 Janpath here, Singh thanked the people of the country for the faith they had shown in the Congress party.

May 8th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - In a poll conducted by the Inter National Institute of Fashion Design (INIFD), student designers selected Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi and actor-turned politician Hema Malini as 'Political Style Icons of India'. The poll was conducted at the 156 centres of INIFD across India in which 14,000 student designers voted.

May 7th, 2009 NEW DELHI - For Poonam Vasudevan, Thursday was a day she will never forget. As she went to cast her vote at polling booth number 88 in Aurangzeb Lane, little did she know that she would get to shake hands with Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi.

April 25th, 2009 KOLKATA - Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi said here Saturday that he would refuse the prime minister's post if the offer was made to him now because he was busy revamping the party and lacked the experience to take the top job. 'I would refuse...for two reasons.

April 12th, 2009 AMETHI - Priyanka Gandhi, daughter of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Sunday said she was not averse to plunging into politics, but in the same breath added that this was not something she wants to do. Replying to questions from reporters in Amethi, where she is campaigning for her brother Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka said: 'As I am growing older I have realised 'never' is a bad thing to say...

March 26th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday disclosed that he wanted Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, the son of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, to be a minister in the cabinet, but Rahul refused. 'I always wanted Rahul Gandhi to be a minister, but he refused,' Manmohan Singh told reporters on the sidelines of a defence investiture function at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

January 8th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Congress Friday said that Rahul Gandhi has all the qualities to become the prime minister of India as he represents the aspirations of young India. 'Rahulji possesses all the qualities to become the prime minister of India.