Will he, will he not - in the end he didn't. Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, contrary to speculation in a section of media, again chose to stay away from the government.
Even as he spent time selecting some of his protégés for ministerial berths and attended the swearing-in ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday, Gandhi made it clear once again that he would focus on strengthening the organisation.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who has been keen to have Gandhi on board, said after the reshuffle that the Congress general secretary had other pre-occupations.
"I always wanted him in the government. But he has other preoccupations. He wants to strengthen the party, Singh told reporters.
Gandhi chose not to talk about his decision to stay out of the council of ministers or his future role in the party.
He, in fact, was quick to point to media speculation about him.
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