New Delhi: Admitting "some anti-incumbency" against UPA government which has committed one or two mistakes , Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday promised a "radical government" headed by him if Congress comes to power after 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
In an interview to a news channel, the Congress vice-president also conceded UPA government may have committed one or two mistakes.
Gandhi said if MPs want him to to be the Prime Minister after elections, he would agree to it "not 99 percent but 103 percent" and promised that the government under him will "change India".
"It will change the system and the structure. It will not be a conventional government. It will be a radical government and it will change the structure radically. It will give a tremendous performance," said the Congress Vice President.
At the same time, he insisted it will "not be Rahul Gandhi`s government. It will be a government of the people of India, whose voice will resonate in the corridors of power."
"We will give as much power to people as possible in every sphere so that they can draw power automatically being the citizens of the country. You work and we will trust in your abilities will be the approach," he said.
With elections over for almost half of the Lok Sabha seats and opinion polls predicting a poor show for Congress, Gandhi admitted "UPA has committed one or two mistakes". He, however, hastened to add that it has also done a lot of work.
Making a scathing attack on Narendra Modi`s rule in Gujarat, he said there has been no Lokayukta and there is hidden corruption. "Courts are telling Gujarat to bring Lokayukta, bring RTI," he said.
Taking a dig at Modi, he said "what we see there is a chowkidar who says I am chowkidar of Gujarat but we do not one chowkidar. We want to turn every citizen into chowkidar."
About anti-incumbency factor against UPA, he said "ten years is not a short period, it`s a long period" and suggested some anti-incumbency is bound to be there and it is there.
Gandhi said he gets angry because the country`s huge potential is locked up and was not being allowed to be freed.
He also said he is for dismantling the structure in which there is concentration of power in one hand and wants a say for everyone in decision-making.
Claiming UPA has done a lot of work, Gandhi said unlike NDA, "we are not that good in marketing".
Gandhi also targeted Modi on the issue of land allotment to industrialists in Gujarat at "throwaway" prices.
"We do play 20-20. We have taken many steps in the 20-20 manner. The loan waiver of farmers to the tune of Rs 70,000 crore done by UPA was 20-20 not a test match. We talk about employment and manufacturing.
"Their 20-20 is that they gave 45,000 acres of land to one industrialist at a rate of Rs 1 per meter in Gujarat," Gandhi said seeking to contrast the vision of UPA with that of Modi.
On the question of Modi making personal attacks against him and his family, Gandhi said, "it is his approach and it is his Sansakar."
"These are not my sanskars (values imbibed). I have been taught to give respect to everyone including respect to your enemies and talk with love and affection and this has always been my endeavour. Sometimes some people in our party do speak out of turn. I tell them do not do like this but they say so in the heat of the moment. Their (BJP`s) approach is different. They believe in personal attack and talk negative," he said.
Gandhi also insisted that the Lok Sabha polls is an election of 120 crore people and that "it cannot be the election of one person. This election is not about Rahul Gandhi or Modi. This is about the future of 120 crore people. Our approach is to give power to these 120 crore people.
"Their approach is to give all powers in one hand. We believe that people will benefit if we bring decentralisation in the system. They think give the keys and the car to a person and it will run. But I accept that their marketing is good while we work better."
Regarding talks about Priyanka Gandhi`s larger role in politics, Gandhi said that he will support in whatever she wants to do.
"She (Priyanka) is my sister. Whatever she wants to do, I will support her... But ultimately she has to take a decision. It is her life. So the question should be asked to her but I am elder brother and so whatever she wants to do, I will support," Gandhi said.
Recently Priyanka Gandhi had denied reports that she was willing to contest against Modi from Varanasi but the party leadership did not agree. She had also said that Rahul wanted her to contest elections but it was her decision not to do so.
Gandhi said that his focus is not only on winning elections but more on ensuring that the government is run with the collective decision making rather than concentration of all powers in the hands of one Prime Minister or one Chief Minister.
"This is the mission of my life. We will win elections, we will lose elections but my this mission will not change," he said ruing that the system suppresses the potential lying in people and does not support it.
"I want to change it. I know it will not happen in five years. I know it will take time but a beginning could be made and we will do it with focus and the result will be for all to see... UPA III will come and all of you will wonder what happened in two-three years," he said.
He also dismissed the findings of opinion polls giving 270 seats to NDA, saying such polls had predicted a similar thing in 2004 and 2009 but it was Congress-led UPA that came to power.
He also took a dig at BJP reminding it of its "India Shining" campaign in the run-up to 2004 Lok Sabha polls and said that the progress rate has been much faster during UPA regime than that of the NDA`s tenure.
"We are not as good in marketing as the people in NDA are. I opened the manifesto of the BJP, they talk about fighting corruption. I got only one line that they will remove corruption through e-governance. If you want to check corruption seriously, you will have to do two things--will have to empower the people of India and second that it can not happen unless you have an institutional framework.
"Their leaders say that they are against corruption but what plans they have to fight it. We brought RTI. When we brought Lokpal bill, they said it was Rahul Gandhi`s bill. That is not. We took action wherever we stumbled upon some corruption. See on the other side. There is no Lokpal in Gujarat," he said.
43-year-old Gandhi parried questions about his marriage plans saying right now he is stuck in work and will see to it when he gets the right girl.
"I am giving you the right answer. Marriage will happen when I get the right girl. Right now I am stuck in work. Let us see," he said when asked about his marriage plan.
