New Delhi, July 26: Ten Congress MPs have written to party president Sonia Gandhi suggesting that Rahul Gandhi be appointed Leader of the Lok Sabha, a position vacated by Pranab Mukherjee, who is now President of India.
The letter, written by Odisha MP Bhakta Charan Das and also signed by nine other MPs, reportedly says that making Rahul the Leader of the House is the "need of the hour".
The Congress, which is the single largest party in the Lok Sabha, has reportedly been considering veteran Congressman from Maharashtra Sushil Kumar Shinde for the post.
The request to elevate Mr Gandhi, who is a two-term MP, comes days after he promised to play a "more pro-active role in the party and the government." Mr Gandhi said after voting in the presidential elections last week that the decision that he would play a bigger role had been taken and now the timing was up to his "two bosses." One of them - his mother, Congress president Sonia Gandhi - was by his side as he offered this limited insight into his political future. The other boss he was referring to is the Prime Minister.
Recently, senior Congress leaders like Salman Khurshid and Digvijaya Singh too have said the party is waiting for Mr Gandhi to officially accept a larger role. Mr Singh told NDTV on Thursday evening that he accepts that Mr Gandhi "has to come out more often" and share his opinions; he also agreed that "interaction with media should be far more than what it is at the moment." He said that while Mr Gandhi may not air his views on crucial policies, "he has a very definite idea on most issues...he reads a lot and formulates his own ideas...he has a very inquisitive mind."
In a controversial interview recently, Mr Khurshid had said about Mr Gandhi, "We have only seen cameos of his thought and ideas like democratising elections to the Youth Congress. But he has not weaved all of this into a grand announcement. This is a period of waiting."
There is much speculation about what form that larger role for Mr Gandhi will come in. There is talk about a ministerial position - a cabinet reshuffle is expected before August 8, when the Monsoon Session of Parliament begins.
Then there are those in the party who say that Mr Gandhi will perhaps opt for a bigger role within the party rather than in government. Digvijaya Singh has said that if it were upto him, he would like to see the 42-year-old Rahul Gandhi adopting a bigger role "within the organisation."
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