Celebrating his sixth year as prime minister of the world’s largest democracy, the apolitical Manmohan Singh remains convinced about the primacy of party discipline. “I am a Congressman,” he asserted when asked in his first press briefing after four years on Monday about possible differences with Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
PM emphatically said there was “no iota of truth” in claims that there was a lack of trust between him and Sonia in UPA’s second term or there were any policy differences.
Singh made it clear that he meets Sonia on a weekly basis and “is privileged to have the benefit of her advice and guidance”. He also dismissed a suggestion that the national advisory committee headed by her was a super cabinet.
“It is an advisory body and in the past when it existed had provided useful inputs for policy development in the social sector,” he said.
Even as Singh reinforced the primacy of the party and its leader, he lavished praise on Sonia’s son and party general secretary Rahul Gandhi. “I have always felt younger people should take over and though I do not remember the last time I asked him [Rahul] to join the cabinet, I feel he is well-qualified to hold a cabinet post and will be a welcome addition as and when he decides to join the cabinet,” he said.
In the same spirit of a disciplined Congressman, Singh said he would make way for anyone the party chooses. But he also made it clear he was in no mood to give up the prime ministerial assignment anytime in the foreseeable future.
“I have been assigned a task and the thought of retirement does not occur to me as long as this task remains unfinished,” he asserted.
“It is for the historians to judge,” PM said, when asked about the legacy he would like to leave, making it clear that he was mainly preoccupied with the present.
