Rahul is the party boss, don’t mind his criticism over my Modi jibe: Khurshid

NEW DELHI: Foreign minister Salman Khurshid on Sunday said Rahul Gandhi was the party boss but denied that he was driving the Cabinet agenda like his vain attempt to nudge the government to bring the anti-graft bills through ordinances.

"Rahul Gandhi is the boss. But Rahul Gandhi, please understand, has conducted himself with the utmost dignity and care for the office and constitutional position of our prime minister," Khurshid said, in defence of the heir-imminent amid criticism that the latter was undermining the government by imposing his agenda on them.

He said Rahul was the second-most powerful person in Congress which was heading the UPA, underlining that it was obvious that he be seen as the boss who had influence over the ruling coalition.

The foreign minister was careful to "appreciate" Rahul's disapproval of his "Modi is impotent" remark even though he defended himself for the use of the word.

Khurshid said there was no other word to describe Modi's failure to control the 2002 anti-Muslim riots.

"(Even) if you are not culpable in criminal law, you are certainly responsible for what happened and a person in office who is unable to deliver justice, what do I call that person?" Khurshid said, adding, "In English, Hindi, French, Spanish, you give me the word and I'll use that word."

He said the same word has been used by Subramanian Swamy and Chaudhary Charan Singh in the past.