New Delhi, Apr. 25 Congress party general secretary Rahul Gandhi is an institution builder like his father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, claims his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Revealing this aspect of Rahul's personality to NDTV during an interview, Priyanka also said that her brother was right in consistently saying that he is not ready to be Prime Minister, even if that post were to be offered to him in the near future.
"Rahul is an institution builder like my father was. Rahul's understanding of politics is really very good.....much better than he is given credit for. He will not suffer fools. He's tougher. It's quite possible for Rahul to become the PM, provided he works hard towards it and deserves it," Priyanka said.
As to whether she would eventually join politics or not, Priyanka said "No".
However, she revealed that for many years of her life, she was sure that politics was "absolutely what she wanted to do."
"When I was 16-17, I was sure I wanted to be in politics. But I wasn't clear about my own identity. But I'm very clear now I don't want to be in politics, I'm very happy living my life the way I am. I think there are certain aspects of politics which I'm just not suited to. I'm a recluse," she said.
She said that the year 1999 was the definitive moment when she decided that politics would not be a good career choice.
"Actually I went for Vipasana meditation. I was so troubled by the fact that I didn't know my mind, so I just disappeared and went for 10 days of meditation, so that I better know what my own mind is, rather than what other people want of me," says Priyanka.
When asked whether something happened in 1999 that made her take such a definitive decision? She replied: "No its just introspection that happened."
Recalling the traumatic assassination of her father and its immediate aftermath in 1991, Priyanka said that in the beginning, "I didn't realize it, but I was furious. I was absolutely furious inside. I was furious not with particular individuals who killed him, but I was furious with the whole world."
"It was a very slow process. It was realizing that you're angry... I think the whole thing about this whole business of forgiveness is really, at some level, we all consider ourselves victims," she adding that as far as her mother (Sonia Gandhi) was concerned she " wanted to have nothing to do with politics. But then she felt that this was her duty and she went completely against her grain to join politics"
"My mother was clear way before the election (on not becoming the PM post the win in 2004 elections), she added.
In the days after the assassination of her father, she said: "I burst out crying (when Priyanka saw party members surrounding Sonia Gandhi asking her to become Prime Minister)..... I ran to my brother and said she's going to die.....you realize, hey, you're still scared of losing someone else you love."I'm extremely proud of my mother. If there's one woman I admire in the world, it's my mother," she added.
On the recent statements made by cousin Varun Gandhi, Priyanka told NDTV: "It's painful to see a member of our family (Varun Gandhi) not being able to abide by our family principles which we all have stood by."
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