Rahul may be declared Congress PM candidate in January Meet

Congress will hold a meeting of AICC here on January 17 to prepare strategy for the Lok Sabha polls, triggering speculation that Rahul Gandhi may be anointed the party's Prime Ministerial candidate there.

The announcement was made by party General Secretary Janardan Dwivedi, which comes close on the heels of the party's drubbing in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Delhi.

While BJP had named Narendra Modi as PM candidate in September, there has been criticism that Congress has been reticent about naming its nominee.

On the day the Assembly poll results came, party chief Sonia Gandhi said that the party would announce its Prime Ministerial candidate at an opportune time.

After the Congress Core Group meeting today, she ignored a question from reporters whether Rahul would be made party's Prime Ministrial candidate at the AICC meet.

Dwivedi dismissed as "illogical" questions that the meet has been called to anoint Gandhi as the PM candidate. He said that the agenda for the AICC meet is decided by the Congress Working Committee, which also finalises the draft resolutions which come up before the meet.

The AICC meeting was due since the last meeting was held in Jaipur in January this year along with the 'Chintan Shivir' which saw the elevation of Rahul Gandhi as the party Vice President, he said.

Deliberations at AICC meetings are held on the prevailing political situation and on other important issues, he said.

The meet has been called at a time when Congress is facing an uphill task with the emergence of Modi as a force to reckon with and some allies of UPA sending warning signals, the latest being DMK which made it clear that it will not have any alliance with Congress in the Lok Sabha polls.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar had also targeted the Congress loeadership, saying people do not like "weak leaders".

Party chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have already said there would be deep introspection on the reverses. The Congress Vice President had suggested that the party would effect changes beyond imagination.

Meanwhile, BJP hit out at Congress over the speculation of Rahul being anointed as PM candidate, saying that the ruling party has a very limited choice between "deputation" and "dynasty" in this matter.

"Congress has to choose between dynasty and deputation. Right now there is a Prime Minister, who is on deputation. Now they are looking for somebody from the dynasty. They have very limited options", party Vice President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.

Ridiculing the Congress, another BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu said, "It is their right to select, people have right to reject".