In an unambiguous endorsement of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's future role, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday said Rahul would be the "natural leader" to lead the UPA if it returned to power next year and that he would be happy to make way for him. Singh's comments came as eight new Congress ministers joined his team in an expansion which had purely political underpinnings instead of aiming at improving the government's efficiency, as widely expected.