Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad has said that Rahul Gandhi is doing the same thing as (Mahatma) Gandhi by going to the people directly and getting the feel of the problems of the people.

"Rahul Gandhi is doing what (Mahatma) Gandhiji did on his return to India (from South Africa). He is going to the rural areas to gauge the pulse of the people. His family has sacrificed a lot for the country. He has my best wishes. If the party reaps the benefits of his effort, that will be good," he said in a summit at New Delhi.

At the same time RJD supremo admitted that he has an ambition to become the Prime Minister. Lalu pointed that there was nothing wrong in nurturing hopes.

"People have aims and ambition. There is nothing wrong in this. When I have to become (the PM), I will become. But everything (in politics) is fixed (pre-determined)," Lalu said.

Speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, Lalu criticized MNS chief Raj Thackrey severely.

"We are Indians and every Indian has the right to stay in whichever state he or she wants to. Maharashtra is my state too. Stop showing the circus of Raj Thackeray on TV and Raj will vanish," he said.