Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: After all the talk, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi may not be named the party`s prime ministerial candidate on January 17 (Friday), at the plenary session of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) here.
Sources said a section of the Congress party is against projecting Rahul as PM candidate immediately and does not want him to be exposed to the tirade of Narendra Modi, the main opposition BJP`s PM candidate.
According to sources, instead of being named as the PM candidate, Rahul could be elevated as the Congress working president at the AICC session.
The development came a day after Rahul in an interview published yesterday indicated that he is ready for the top job.
"I am a soldier of Congress. Whatever order is given to me I will follow it. Whatever Congress says, I will follow it," Gandhi, 43, said in his rare interview with a Hindi daily.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has already ruled himself out of a third term if the ruling UPA comes back to power. He has also praised Rahul`s "outstanding credentials".
In a rare development, Rahul today attended the Congress` core group meet at the Prime Minister`s residence here.
The Congress core group includes the party`s senior-most leaders.
As per reports, Rahul is expected to attend meetings of all major party forums in the run-up to the General Elections due in May.
