The PMO on Tuesday set aside speculations that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may step down ahead of the 2014 lok Sabha polls and pave the way for takeover by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. With this, now the AICC session on January 17 could focus on growing demand within the party to project Rahul as PM nominee.

“The Prime Minister will complete his tenure,” the PMO said, rubbishing a media report of his stepping down before the polls. The speculation was triggered by the Prime Minister’s decision to hold a rare Press conference on Friday, which will only be the third of his current tenure.

Union Minister Manish Tewari also rubbished the report about the Prime Minister’s resignation, saying it was “absurd and baseless”. “It (the report) is absurd and baseless,” Tewari said. He said the question did not merit any response and it was improper for a section of media to run such stories when the Prime Minister was going to address the Press conference on January 3.

There has been a growing clamour within the Congress to name Rahul Gandhi as the PM candidate, particularly after the reverses suffered by the party in the State Assembly polls. A section of Congress leaders have been airing “personal” views that Rahul will be the party’s PM nominee for the next General Elections. Not long ago even Manmohan Singh had stated that Rahul should lead the party and that he was willing to work under the Congress vice-president

“I have always maintained that Rahul Gandhi would be an ideal choice for the PM post after 2014 elections. I will be happy to work in the Congress under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi,” Singh had stated on his way back from the G-20 Summit in Russia in September.

Senior leader and Finance Minister P Chidambaram too on Monday in an interview to a TV channel had stated Congress should project its PM candidate. “...In my view, the party (Congress) should project a person as the leader of the party who will become Prime Minister if the party forms the Government. That is my view, but it is for the party to decide,” Chidambaram said.

Amidst all these discussion, Rahul has recently been actively involved in the decision-making and vocal about RTI, lokpal Bill, Ordinance on Convicted MPs and the most recent one on Adarsh Housing scam where he took on his on party’s Government in Maharashtra.