Manmohan to remain Cong's PM candidate, hints Sonia

Two months before the Lok Sabha elections, Congress President Sonia Gandhi today dropped ample hints that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would continue to lead the government if the party came back to power. In a signed letter to the party workers, Gandhi said in the party’s mouthpiece Congress Sandesh, “We look forward to his continued leadership and his inspiration to the younger generation particularly.”

The Congress has said it is against projecting anyone as the prime ministerial candidate in the run-up to the polls. But Gandhi’s stance has assumed significance, especially when the party’s 2009 Lok Sabha campaign is focused around the theme of youth, promoted by Rahul Gandhi.

A large section of the Congress leadership, including veterans like Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, on different occasions, have expressed their support for Rahul Gandhi as the future prime minister. But it seems Sonia Gandhi favours Manmohan Singh to carry the baton, at least for the next few years.

Announcing that the Prime Minister would soon resume his normal duties, Gandhi said, “He has led the government with great distinction. He has many more years of service both to our party and to our country.” Singh, too, had expressed his eagerness to join office at the earliest. Doctors treating the prime minister reported that the PM told them barely 24 hours after the surgery was over that he “still has a lot to contribute in public life”. Gandhi’s statement comes in full support of Singh and his efforts to regain momentum as the executive head of the UPA government.

Congress Spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan, however, refused to elaborate on the party president’s statement but said, “There is no vacancy in the Prime Minister’s post.”

As the party prepares for the polls, Gandhi showered praises on the Prime Minister in her letter. “He has always been known for his wisdom and sagacity, for his humility and simplicity, for his quiet but firm resolve and his sobriety and dignity.”

There is also a change in Sonia Gandhi’s assessment of the Manmohan Singh government’s approach towards tackling economic problems. Last year, she used to routinely pull up the government on the issue of rising rates of inflation. But today, she praised the UPA government’s efforts in tackling the economic slowdown.

“The world economy is going through a recession. Economic growth in most countries has slowed down sharply. However, our government has been very alert and has already announced two stimulus packages to ensure that our economy continues to grow. Our government has also announced measures to ensure that development expenditures in vital areas like agriculture, rural development and infrastructure is maintained at high levels.”