Bharatiya Janata Party veteran LK Advani’s former aide Sudheendra Kulkarni has reiterated that Congress President Rahul Gandhi should be the next prime minister, PTI reported on Tuesday. In December, after Gandhi was elected Congress president, Kulkarni said he was “more convinced” that he should become prime minister.

On Monday, Kulkarni said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had failed to solve disputes with China and Pakistan. He said India needs a leader who can solve “big problems” such as the Kashmir issue and praised Gandhi saying he has “a good heart”.

“We must state what is required for solving the problem with Pakistan,” he said at a panel discussion organised by the All India Professionals’ Congress in Mumbai. “Which is why I made a suggestion that I would like to see Rahul Gandhi as the future prime minister.”

He said dialogue was the only solution to solve the long-standing dispute with Pakistan, and that “normalising ties with the neighbouring country is key to India becoming a great nation”.

Kulkarni said that Gandhi was young and an idealist. “No political leader in recent times has spoken the language of love, affection and compassion,” he said.

Kulkarni then advised Gandhi to visit Pakistan, China and Bangladesh to solve “big problems”. “Like Rajiv Gandhi did when he was in the opposition... He went to Afghanistan. Similarly, Rahul ji should go to Pakistan, China, Bangladesh and emerge as a leader with new ideas on how to solve big problems that Modi ji has failed to solve.