Mr Rahul Gandhi is set play a bigger role, but when he will do so will be decided by Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
This was made clear by the party on Tuesday against the backdrop of media reports that the young Gandhi will be made a working president of the Congress in the coming days.
Responding to a volley of questions about the bigger role Mr Gandhi would play, Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said: “There is no suspense about it. He has a role which is increasing constantly. In the natural course, his role will go on increasing.”
“This is what Congressmen want and this is what in their opinion is natural. There is no doubt about it that Congressmen want his role to increase,” he said.
As far the issue of party leadership is concerned, Mrs Sonia Gandhi is the Congress president, she will decide a role for Mr Rahul Gandhi, he clarified.
Mr Dwivedi, however, refused to go either into the issue of timeline or the designation that Mr Gandhi will assume, saying, “You just cannot speculate on timeline. You should consider all other speculation as mere speculation for the time being.”
He stressed that “Congress president Sonia Gandhi is here to lead the party and she will decide what to do and when,” a statement which indicated that Mrs Sonia Gandhi will continue to be at the helm.
Mr Gandhi has always been projected as the future leader and potential Prime Minister by the party, with a section hoping that he could be given the charge of the government ahead of the presidential elections next year. Asked about the possibility of Ms Priyanka Gandhi Vadra joining politics, Mr Dwivedi remarked, “They themselves decide who in the family has to do what and right now Rahul Gandhi is in politics.”
Media reports reported that Mr Gandhi may be appointed working president of the party on November 19, the late Indira Gandhi’s birth anniversary, while a media report had also suggested that Mr Gandhi could soon take over as party president.