File photo of Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh.
NDA's defeat in the Bihar assembly polls will have some impact on the Centre but that would pose no threat to the Narendra Modi government which has been elected for five years, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has said.
"I don't think there is a challenge to the NDA Government...If they do not do well, they will certainly be questioned," he said.
The Congress general secretary, however, said: "People were now realising their mistake" of having elected the Modi government under whose watch "forces of intolerance" were "on the rise".
He said even though the Congress had called for the unity of secular forces for "tangible action" against those spreading hatred, one could not say "just now" if and when UPA III could be formed.
Amid talks that Rahul Gandhi could take over as Congress chief sooner than later, Mr Singh said: "The issue of elevation of Rahul Gandhi has to be decided by Congress President Sonia Gandhi and the Congress Working Committee."
He said the grassroots Congress workers wanted the elevation to happen soon.
Referring to senior party leader Jairam Ramesh's comments that leaders above 60 years of age would only be in an advisory role after Rahul Gandhi takes over, Mr Singh said, "Why should we borrow the idea of Margdarshak Mandal from the BJP."
"Congress has always supported young people. It is not only today but even before independence and it (Congress leadership) has been a combination of youth and experience," Mr Singh added.
The senior Congress leader said though there was "negativity" because of the "failures" of the Modi government, the party cannot rely solely on that for its revival.
Taking a dig at Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for his crititicism of the Supreme Court's decision to strike down the National Judicial Appointments Commission, he said: "I was very surprised to see Arun Jaitley's statement about how can the unelected dictate terms in a democracy. What about Jaitley himself?"
"Does he have the right to question the judiciary and question them," he added. Mr Jaitley is a member of the Rajya Sabha and thus not directly elected by the people.