LUCKNOW: In his most direct acceptance that he is ready to be Prime Minister, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said that if the party wins the 2014 Lok Sabha election and MPs select him as PM.

Though his formulation was too different from his remarks at the Congress plenary in Delhi last week where he said he will accept any responsibility party workers ask him to shoulder, he spelt out what he meant more clearly.

"In Congress, elected MPs select the PM. After elections, if our party comes to power and the MPs select me, then I will definitely consider it," he told the media in Amethi.

The comment comes after the Congress leadership resisted intense pressure from party rank and file to name Rahul as the PM candidate at the January 17 convention. After Congress chief Sonia Gandhi ruled it out on the ground that Congress has no such tradition, Rahul pointed to constitutional precedence of MPs electing the PM.

But while he side stepped the demand that he be declared PM candidate, a decision that will pit him against BJP leader Narendra Modi , Rahul had told the Congress meet that accept any responsibility the party gave him.

Thursday's remarks, like his address at the AICC, seem intended to assure his party and voters that he not reluctant to accept the top job and he is not overawed by being up against Modi, a three-time chief minister.

Though there is little doubt on who would be Congress's man for the PM's job should Congress return to office, but the fact remains that Rahul is not the officially declared PM candidate, fanning speculation that he is being buffered against a possible poor result.

Modi seized on Rahul's decision and attacked him and Sonia for not having the stomach for a fight and alleging that the reluctance is proof of Congress's dipping appeal.

Swatting aside comments that he is playing safe, Rahul on Thursday again clarified that the reason behind the Congress decision was procedural by reminding workers that even PM Manmohan Singh was picked by the party MPs.

"To select the PM is the right of the MPs, and it should stay with them. Selecting a PM nominee before polls is not a democratic system, but part of personality cult," he said.

The tradition and convention argument are certainly relevant in Congress's context, but the vocal demand by party seniors as well as workers that Rahul be named PM candidate had prised open the debate.

Rahul slammed SP and BSP for 'personality cult' which he said was the reason that democracy was weak in UP.

"The Samajwadi Party is run by a family while one person controls the affairs of the Bahujan Samaj Party," he said, adding, "In UP, there are only MLAs and they do not have freedom to work properly."

However, when pointed that even Congress is run by the Gandhi family, Rahul said the party is not controlled from 10 Janpath (Sonia's residence) and has 'maximum' democracy.

Exuding confidence that he would bring Congress back to power in UP, the Congress vice-president said, "Without associating people, neither the democracy will get strong nor development will take place in the state."

Attacking BJP, he said, "We got some revolutionary bills passed in Parliament. Those bills were not passed by BJP. Lokpal bill was not passed by BJP, but by us. Whenever a bill comes in the House, BJP opposes it. The only work they (BJP) do is to oppose."

