Rahul Gandhi says he's willing to become India's prime minister in 2019

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said he was willing to become India's prime minister in 2019 if his party emerged as the single largest party after the Lok Sabha elections.

Gandhi made this announcement while interacting with the media in Bengaluru.

“If the Congress wins with the single-largest majority, then why not,” said Gandhi. He was in the city ahead of the Karnataka Assembly elections to launch the Samruddha Bharat Foundation — “a platform to propagate liberal, secular and republican values.”

Gandhi also expressed confidence that Narendra Modi wouldn't be re-elected prime minister of the country. “It is highly unlikely that BJP will form the next government, and the second part is that it is close to impossible that Modi will be the next prime minister,” Gandhi reportedly said.

"If the Congress acts as a "platform" (with other parties in a coalition), the BJP does not stand a chance of winning the elections," said Gandhi.

This is not the first time Gandhi has publicly expressed a desire to become the prime minister of the country. The 47-year-old took over as the Congress chief in 2017, and the same year Gandhi told students in Berkley university in US that he was "absolutely ready" to be the prime ministerial candidate if that's what his party members desired.

Reacting to Gandhi's statement, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said Gandhi was a "natural leader."

“The overwhelming response in the party is that he is a natural leader of the party. I am glad that people are thinking about a PM other than Narendra Modi. If there is a coalition of parties, we will consult everyone and the PM will be chosen,” Chidambaram was quoted as saying by News18.

However, the BJP mocked Gandhi saying it was a "pipe dream."