Time is ripe for Rahul to take over as Cong president: Bajwa

New Delhi, Nov 9: Raising the pitch for Rahul Gandhi's elevation in the party, Punjab Congress chief Pratap Singh Bajwa today said the opportune time has arrived for him to take over as Congress President under the over-all guidance of Sonia Gandhi.

"This is the right time for Rahul Gandhi to assume the mantle and lead the Congress from the forefront. Rahul Gandhi has shown excellent political acumen and foresight in stitching an alliance of like-minded and secular parties in Bihar and further brought Nitish Ji, Lalu Ji and Congress on one common platform which trumped the NDA led by Narendra Modi," he said.

Bajwa said the phenomenal performance of the Congress in terms of the relative increase in seat tally from the previous Bihar assembly elections is indicative of the growing popularity of Rahul Gandhi.

"The decimation of the BJP in Bihar is a bellwether that the youth in the country are looking towards a progressive, sincere, young and dynamic leader who can take the nation forward and can deliver on the aspirations of crores of Indians," he said.

The PPCC chief also said the present dispensation instead of performing is turning the clock back and has created an atmosphere of fear and hatred in society.

He said the public has seen through BJP's propaganda and a strong sense of disillusionment has set in and the Bihar result is "symptomatic" of this trend. Many Congress leaders have in the past raised the demand for Rahul taking over the overall control of the party and lead it in future.

PTI