Rahul Gandhi set to play major role

Legislators across India voted for a new president on Thursday, with the ruling Congress party’s candidate and former finance minister Pranab Mukherjee poised for victory. Amid speculation on a cabinet reshuffle with the exit of Mukherjee from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s team, the Congress announced that party president Sonia Gandhi’s son Rahul Gandhi will be number two in the organisation. “In future, his role would be after Congress president. That is clear,” the party’s media department chairman Janardan Dwivedi said. Dwivedi, however, did not respond to reports that Rahul might join the cabinet. Some reports in the Indian media said the Nehru-Gandhi scion and party general secretary will join Singh’s team and take up a key portfolio, probably defence or finance. The party also has to appoint a leader of Lok Sabha and a finance minister in place of Mukherjee. Rahul for the first time on Thursday declared that he was ready for a “more proactive role in the party and the government.” He said the decision had been taken and the timing was left to the leadership. “I will play more proactive role in the party and the government. The decision has been taken, the timing is up to the leadership,” Rahul told NDTV after voting for presidential election in the parliament. It also set off speculation that Rahul Gandhi, a bachelor at 42, could be projected as the party’s prime ministerial candidate in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. This is the first time that Rahul Gandhi has spoken about the possibility of joining the government or taking up a bigger role in the Congress as the party prepares for a string of state elections and the Lok Sabha elections. On Wednesday, Sonia Gandhi said it was up to her son to decide on taking up a bigger role. From: The Gulf today