Member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi [Images] has been appointed as an All India Congress Committee general secretary on Monday in a reshuffle of the party secretariat.

Rahul was given charge of youth affairs and the National Students Union of India, the Congress students body.

The 37-year-old MP from Amethi had announced in the party's plenary at Hyderabad last year that he was ready to play an active role in the organisation if the party leadership decides so.

There have been demands from party leaders, including other AICC general secretaries, that Rahul, who has been described as a future leader and potential prime minister, should be inducted into the organisation as general secretary to enthuse the party rank and file.

The secretariat-level changes in the AICC are being planned amidst the possibility of mid-term polls.

Though Rahul led the party campaign in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections without much success, party leaders, including AICC general secretary Ashok Gehlot, have termed it as a blessing in disguise.

The refrain in the party is that the young leader has gone through the rough and tumble of a politically key state dominated by the politics of caste and community, that acted as a learning ground for him and could act as a springboard for his launch into national politics.

(With inputs from PTI)