New Delhi, Jul 19 (IANS): Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi Thursday said he was ready for a "more proactive role in the party and the government" but the final decision on what that would be rested with the leadership.

"I will play more proactive role in the party and the government. The decision has been taken, the timing is up to the leadership," Rahul Gandhi told NDTV after voting for presidential election in the parliament.

This is the first time that Rahul Gandhi has spoken about the possibility of joining the government or taking up a bigger role in the Congress, led by his mother Sonia Gandhi.

His comments came a day after the Congress president said it was up to her son to decide on taking up a bigger role.

Congress leaders in recent days have urged Rahul Gandhi to move to the party's mainstream amid the increasing view that he would be projected as the prime ministerial candidate in the next Lok Sabha polls, likely in 2014.

Congress leader Digvijay Singh, a vociferous proponent of Rahul Gandhi taking up the top job, had Wednesday expressed confidence that he would lead the party at "an appropriate time".

The voices for Rahul Gandhi's bigger role grew louder after Law Minister Salman Khurshid said in a newspaper interview that the ruling party was yet to get any ideological direction from him and that had only "seen cameos of his thought and ideas".

External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna had also suggested that Rahul Gandhi should join the government as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had already invited him and that invitation still stands.