New Delhi, August 11
As the clamour in the Congress for Nehru-Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi to play a more proactive role continues unabated, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today reiterated that his entry into the government would be a welcome step.

"I have always said I would welcome Rahul's entry into the government", the Prime Minister told mediapersons on the sidelines of the swearing in ceremony of Vice-President Hamid Ansari at Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

This is not the first time the PM has spoken in favour of the young leader's induction into the Cabinet. When questioned on this subject in the past, he has consistently maintained that though Rahul had been offered a slot in the government, he had preferred to work in the party organisation.

While Rahul has, so far, confined himself to the supervision of the Youth Congress and NSUI, restive Congress leaders and cadres are pressing him to take on greater responsibility with an eye on the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Several Union ministers, including SM Krishna and Salman Khurshid, have urged the young Gandhi to play a larger role in the government or the party organisation. Ten Congress MPs had recently written to party president Sonia Gandhi suggesting that Rahul be made Lok Sabha leader.