After opting to wait in the wings for eight years as an MP, Rahul Gandhi could finally be crossing over from cameos to a much chunkier role. The Congress scion, it is believed, will soon take centre-stage by joining the Union cabinet.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to rejig his council of ministers after the monsoon session of Parliament and sources in the Rahul camp do not rule out the AICC general secretary’s induction into the government.

But party insiders, who have apparently clammed up after the Salman Khurshid controversy, are not willing to confirm the development. All they are saying is that the final call will be taken by Rahul himself.

“If at all he joins the government, it has nothing to do with the Law minister’s ( Khurshid’s) reported lament that Rahul has not taken up the mantle or accepted a functional responsibility,” a Congress source said, adding that the young party leader had been weighing the pros and cons of the demand for the last few months.

The PM himself has time and again exhorted Rahul to join his cabinet, but the latter politely declined the offer on each occasion.

However, in the wake of the massive electoral debacle in Uttar Pradesh and the subsequent defeats in by-elections and civic polls in various other states, a section of the party is of the view that Rahul should not be pitchforked to the top spot.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to rejig his council of ministers after the monsoon session of Parliament and sources in the Rahul camp do not rule out the AICC general secretary’s induction into the government.

But party insiders, who have apparently clammed up after the Salman Khurshid controversy, are not willing to confirm the development. All they are saying is that the final call will be taken by Rahul himself.

“If at all he joins the government, it has nothing to do with the Law minister’s ( Khurshid’s) reported lament that Rahul has not taken up the mantle or accepted a functional responsibility,” a Congress source said, adding that the young party leader had been weighing the pros and cons of the demand for the last few months.

The PM himself has time and again exhorted Rahul to join his cabinet, but the latter politely declined the offer on each occasion.

However, in the wake of the massive electoral debacle in Uttar Pradesh and the subsequent defeats in by-elections and civic polls in various other states, a section of the party is of the view that Rahul should not be pitchforked to the top spot.