Cong confirms Singh’s PM candidature

Sonia and Rahul Gandhi have already declared their support  to Manmohan

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Wednesday, has clarified that its stand on Manmohan Singh being its prime ministerial candidate for the next Lok Sabha elections has not changed ever since party chief Sonia Gandhi indicated her support for his candidature in August. “She has already made the party’s position on the issue clear. Her word is final,” said party spokesperson Shakeel Ahmad Khan.

The Congress’ clarification came on a day when the PM told journalists accompanying him from France that it is “too early” to say who would be Congress’ potential prime ministerial candidate for the next general elections “as there are several leaders who are equally qualified or better qualified than me.” But one should not attempt to read much into the PM’s statement. “What else could he have said? After all, a modest man like him could not have declared his own candidature,” said a cabinet colleague of the PM.

Although the Congress has a tradition of not declaring either its prime ministerial or chief ministerial candidate ahead of the elections, the question usually props up every few weeks. And a section within the party has also sought to gain some brownie points by pushing for Rahul Gandhi’s name. But the MP from Amethi has nipped the move in the bud by declaring his support for the PM on more than one occasion.

The Congress president has also made the party’s stand clear when she told journalists that Singh would “certainly” raise the tricolor from the Red Fort next year as well. Initially, there were several people in the party who had reservations over whether Singh should be projected, but now that both Sonia and Rahul, the two most powerful leaders in the party have come out in Singh’s favour, this question seems to have been answered for now.

j_ansari@dnaindia.net