Rahul Gandhi a genius, rejected Manmohan Singh's offer of PM post in seconds, claims Pappu Yadav

Six-time MP Pappu Yadav had won the last Lok Sabha polls from Bihar's Purnia as an Independent candidate

Independent MP from Purnia, Pappu Yadav, has claimed that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi declined the post of Prime Minister during the second stint of UPA government.

"Rahul Gandhi rejected the post of Prime Minister, which was offered by former PM Manmohan Singh himself,” Yadav told ANI.

He said that Rahul Gandhi, “a genius”, rejected the offer for the prime minister's chair in a second.

"A genius boy from Harvard University, who walks 10,000 kilometres and turns down the role of Prime Minister, believes in the principle of justice,” said Yadav. “Manmohan Singh ji said Rahul you become [the PM], he (Rahul Gandhi) said never.”

According to him, such qualities clearly dismantle the "Pappu" tag often associated with the Congress MP and leader of opposition in Lok Sabha.

Six-time MP Pappu Yadav had won the last Lok Sabha polls from Bihar's Purnia as an Independent candidate after the Congress denied him the ticket and gave the seat to its alliance partner RJD.

Yadav, who has a stronghold on Seemanchal region, emphasised that Congress needs a strong leadership in Bihar.

“Congress needs strong leadership. Congress has never accepted me in Bihar till today.” Pappu Yadav told ANI.

Taking a sharp dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Purnia MP said, "People now know that PM Modi doesn’t have a '56-inch chest' but a '5-inch chest. The world is mocking us, saying they’ve never seen such a weak Prime Minister."

He also alleged that constitutional and democratic rights are being eroded and warned that the House will not function unless critical concerns raised by the opposition are addressed. The remarks came amid the monsoon session of Parliament, which began on Monday and will run till August 21.

"Constitutional and democratic rights are being taken away. SIR is also a big issue that needs to be raised. The entire opposition and our leader, Rahul Gandhi, have discussed some issues that need to be raised and seek answers from the government," he told ANI.