Rahul may join AICC

Completion of one year of the UPA government seems to have ushered in a period of consolidation not just for the government but also Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi. He is set to join the All India Congress Committee (AICC) as a general secretary.

According to sources close to the Gandhi family, Congress President Sonia Gandhi has almost put a seal of approval on drafting Rahul Gandhi into the AICC to head one of the frontal organisations of the party like the Youth Congress or the Sewa Dal.

"The organisational polls are being conducted and by September we hope to see Rahul Gandhi in the AICC," said a close friend of the family.

Gandhi will be completing 35 years on June 19, and some consider it high time for him to take on some responsibility in the party. His father Rajiv Gandhi was also inducted into the party as general secretary after the death of Sanjay Gandhi, the younger son of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

As for political training, Gandhi was alerted by his mother on his possible induction into AICC when the nominations for the PCC elections in Uttar Pradesh and in particular Amethi were being decided.

"Normally, the PCC passes a resolution that Soniaji should decide on the office bearers, and then her nominees make the grade, this time Soniaji expressly told Rahulji to shortlist likely candidates," said the aide.

Rahul Gandhi reportedly said that he was not very familiar with the party organisation, his mother's reply seems to have been that it was high time he got into the nitty gritty of the party hierarchy. "He was told that this is the only way he would learn," said the aide.

Gandhi has also started visiting various other districts of UP whenever he goes to Amethi. "Last week we took a detour to Barabanki, where Rahul also attended a wedding of a Congress worker," said his aide.

"Rahulji is a very calm tempered person, and hates to rush into things,"said the aide. A year is a long time therefore for the change to be affected.