There are may reasons for Sonia Gandhi to be Prime Minister – her organisational skills, her ability to build consensus, her ability to carry her allies, her ability to reach out and touch the poorest of the poor, her ability to pull out victory from the jaws of defeat – to name a few.

There is one reason why she should not be PM: The Congerss Party.

The Congress Party’s resurrection is probably the greatest miracle since Easter Sunday. And there is one person they should be eternally grateful for – that is Sonia Gandhi. But the fact remains that without her, it is a hollow collection of self serving individuals.
The thing that India needs over the next decade is a strong Social Democratic Party – that will lead the country or form a strong opposition. The Congress – apart from a few individuals – is currently ideologically and morally broke (i hate to use the word bankrupt). I believe that Sonia Gandhi’s skills should be deployed over the next decade or so to orient Congress from this mish mash rag tag into a strong institution.

Let’s not ignore the fact that with their loss, the restraints of power have been removed from the raving right. And as years go by, and as the nation develops you are going to see the right exerting more and more influence – it is an inevitability of history. India too will have to face this right wing challenge. To meet that challenge you need a strong Social Democratic Party.
There are a few alternatives to Sonia Gandhi as PM – there is no alternative to her as leader of the Congress. She should not be both