Cuttack (Orissa):  Dismissing suggestions that a coterie moved around him, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi today said there was no harm in it.

"When you work with a group of people, it is viewed as a coterie. But I don't think there is any harm in it," AICC General Secretary said during a brief interaction with reporters here.

Rahul's remarks came in response to a query on allegation by former Congress leader from Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Das that there was a coterie around him.

Regreting inadequate representation of Dalit and tribal youths in Congress party in Orissa, the Nehru-Gandhi family scion said his mission was to bring them to the forefront.

"There is not adequate representation of tribal boys and girls in the party. There are talented boys and girls from the community in Orissa. The idea is to bring them to the forefront," he said after interacting with tribal and Dalit delegates.

Gandhi said that during his last visit to the state in March he had learnt about inadequate representation of young tribal and Dalit leaders in the party. He, however, disagreed that his back-to-back visit to the state had anything to do with assembly polls in the state due next year.

On recent statements by senior party leader and union HRD minister Arjun Singh that decision-making process in Congress has fallen in a bit of disarray and Rahul Gandhi should become the Prime Minister, Gandhi refused to comment.

"Arjun Singh is a senior (party) leader and I don't want to make any comment on his statements," he said.

Asked about the performance of Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh which completed one year, the MP from Amethi said it was for the people of UP to rate the BSP rule there.

Source : PTI