Rahul Gandhi not a leader, he is still learning, says Congress veteran Hansraj Bhardwaj

New Delhi, Nov 15: Former union minister and senior Congress leader Hansraj Bhardwaj has said that party president Rahul Gandhi is not a leader and will become one only when public accepts him.

"Rahul Gandhi kaun sa neta hai, main nahi manata. (Is Rahul Gandhi a leader, i don't think so)," he told news agency ANI.

When asked that the Congress is trying to counter the BJP by indulging in politics of religion, he said, "That is why Congress is losing."

"Politics in the name of religion is wrong. Whether Jawaharlal Nehru or Indira Gandhi, they never practised communal politics," he added.

He said Rahul Gandhi is still learning and will become a leader only when public accepts him.

This is not the first time that Bhardwaj has been critical of the Congress and Rahul Gandhi. In 2015, former Karnataka Governor had said Congress was is too weak to counter the ruling BJP at Centre. He has said Congress and Rahul Gandhi were "out of touch with the ground reality".