Decision on Rahul: Congress has developed cold feet, says Arun Jaitley

New Delhi, Jan 16: Senior Bharat Janata Party leader and leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha

on Thursday took a dig at the

for its latest decision to not declare Rahul Gandhi as the party's prime ministerial candidate. "There's was build up over the years for Rahul as PM candidate but on the eve of announcement, Congress has developed cold feet", said Jaitley.

Congress is losing the will to fight, Jaitley said. "Congress may consider it as a strategy but avoiding a direct contest will not help Rahul Gandhi or the party", he added.

Although Rahul will not be party's prime minister nominee, he will lead the party's election campaign. Reportedly, Sonia Gandhi's opposition was the main reason behind the sudden move. The Congress president cited the grand old party's 'traditions' while refusing to nominate Rahul as PM nominee ahead of the elections.

BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad too attacked the Congress for its decision. "Was the Congress tradition of not naming PM nominee not known to Manmohan Singh who passed on the baton to Rahul Gandhi?", asked Prasad, adding that Rahul is no match for Modi. "It is move by Sonia Gandhi to save Rahul from very imminent embarrassment", he said.

Jaitley attacks AAP

Slamming the recent controversies surrounding Delhi's Aam Aadmi Party, Jaitley said that AAP's activism cannot be a substitute to substantive politics.

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