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'Whether I become PM' is irrelevant: Rahul Gandhi

Our Correspondent, New Delhi
"Whether I will become prime minister, this is an irrelevant question -- it's all smoke". This was what Rahul Gandhi, the scion of India's Nehru-Gandhi family, had said at a meeting of captains of Indian business and industry in April this year.
But nine months down the line now, that "smoke" could well be on course to become a reality after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ruled himself out for a third term in the top post if Congress-led UPA returns to power and batted strongly for Rahul to succeed him.
The announcement of Rahul, 43, who is already number two in the hierarchy of Congress, behind his mother Sonia Gandhi who is the party's President, as PM candidate may come as early as January 17 when the party's top decision-making body meets to kick off poll prepations, Congress sources said.
In fact, speculation in Congress about the timing of Rahul's anointment as PM candidate began soon after Manmohan Singh at a press conference here on Friday announced he would not be there for another term and said Rahul has "outstanding credentials" to be PM candidate.
The newspaper The Hindustan Times summed up the mood best when its frontpage headline screams "Sunset Singh, Time for Sonrise"? many newspapers editorially commented that Singh has cleared the decks for Congress to name Rahul as its PM candidate.
Singh's ruling himself out for the top post appears to have removed the only obstacle to Rahul being brought in as the PM candidate and may have forced Congress party's hand in naming him the young leader for the top job.
Earlier, the feeling in Congress was that it would be rude to name Singh's successor when he
was still at the helm. But the Prime Minister has cleared the decks for Rahul to step in his shoes by announcing that he would “pass on the baton".
Congress insiders say the party leadership may now find it hard to ignore the growing clamour in the party to nominate Rahul as PM candidate.
In fact, Congress general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi said soon after Manmohan Singh's media conference that naming Rahul for PM was a formality though he declined to specify the timing for the big announcement.
"There is a principle and there is a ritual. As far as the principle is concerned, the entire party knows Rahul Gandhi's name will come first whenever the question of prime ministership crops up in Congress. But parties have certain formalities, certain process", he said.
Rahul has so far shied away from a ministerial job during Congress rule in the last ten years but his elevation to be PM nominee is seen within the party as a natural progression, given the hold of the Nehru-Gandhi family.
A year ago, Rahul accepted the position of number two in Congress, raising hopes among partymen that he would play a more proactive and larger role shaping the party's strategy and setting its policy and priorities.
Rahul has so far confined himself to building up the youth wing of Congress and has only broadly talked about the need to revamp the party.
However, in a rare moment of public leadership, Rahul had embarrassed the government of Manmohan Singh by publicly denouncing its decision in September last about a plan to pass an ordinance aimed at shielding parliamentarians convicted for corruption.