An upbeat PM cheers govt

Manmohan rules out tax on salaried class for funding social sector schemes.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh came out combative at his second press conference in as many years in office as he took on the BJP, with whom his relationship has never been worse, and the Left, with whom he shares a troubled working relationship.

He also defended his government over the Supreme Court judgement on Bihar, saying that the difference between an excutive and a judicial decision should be appreciated as one of ex-ante and ex-post.

"Also, a political career cannot be a disqualification for holding the post of governor," he said, with regard to the court's stricture against then governor Buta Singh.

Displaying the spirit of a pugilist, Singh took BJP leader L K Advani head on for referring to him as the "weakest prime minister ever."

"I have done nothing to deserve these epithets. How strong was Mr Advani when he went to Karachi and paid homage at Jinnah's mausoleum. The RSS did not like this and look where Mr Advani is now. Does he call himself strong?" he said, mincing no words.

When it came to the Left, however, the PM was more measured and said that "Left presure on some matters is not unexpected. In a democratic structure, some pressures perform a useful function. They do not block the pace of progress."

He expressed confidence that his government would last five years, though admitting that due to the upcoming elections in Kerala and West Bengal, where the Congress and the Left are on opposing sides, "some tension can be expected as a prelude to the election season."

Significantly, the prime minister chose not to disclose details of his conversation with West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya during the joint Indo-US air exercise at Kaliakonda in the state when, it was speculated, the PM threatened to invoke Article 356 if the Left government opposed the exercise.

"I don't want to discuss private conversation; suffice to say the matter was settled amicably," he said.

A large number of questions pertained to the February-2 vote at the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA), pertaining to Iran's nuclear programme being referred to the UN.

"Iran is a signatory to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and as such has rights under it and must fulfill its obligations as well. We are still watching events unfold before deciding on how to vote," he said.

He asked Indians not to equate Indo-US relations with just the Indo-US nuclear deal. "It's not a one shot relationship but a long standing one," he said. "There are no deadlines on civil and defence nuclear installations."

Above all, the PM asked to be judged on his work and not on what the Opposition had to say about him.

"The proof of the pudding is in the eating. I should be judged not by what Mr Advani says, but by what I do," he said. In all, Singh put across the message that he did not want to be known as the government's teflon leader, but as its unapologetic head.