Indicating he was ready to don any role in the Congress after the 2014 general elections, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said he will be ‘very happy’ to work under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi.
Singh also maintained that Rahul, the Congress Vice President, will be an "ideal choice" for the prime ministership post after the next Lok Sabha polls.
"I have always maintained that Rahul Gandhi would be an ideal choice for the PM post after 2014 elections (Lok Sabha). I will be very happy to work in the Congress under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi," the prime minister told reporters accompanying him on board the special Air India aircraft on his way home after attending the G20 summit in the Russian city of St Petersburg.
80-year-old Singh was replying to a question on whether it is possible for him to seek a third term on the grounds that many in the Congress would like to see Rahul to lead the party.
Singh also did not rule out any alliances with erstwhile ally Trinamool Congress in the future, saying in politics there are no permanent enemies and permanent friends.
He was asked whether the Congress will seek an alliance with Trinamool for the upcoming Parliamentary elections.
"In politics, there are no permanent enemies and permanent friends. And in many ways, a week in politics is sometimes an unusually long period of time," he said, adding, "So, I don't rule out, for example, alliances."
Noting that Mamata Banerjee was a very respectable member of the Congress party at one time, the prime minister said the Congress was also very happy to have her in the UPA government.
Singh said the Congress would very much like like-minded, secular minded persons to work again to give the country's polity a thrust in favour of secular elements.
Next: I am an open book: PM

I am an open book: PM
"I am an open book," asserted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, as he said he had no desire to hide anything from Parliament and that he has not prevented anybody from looking at his conduct.
Singh's assertion came during a media interaction on board his special Air India plane on his return home after attending the G20 summit in the Russian city of St Petersburg.
The prime minister was asked whether he believes that he himself has sufficiently answered many questions by BJP about his government, about him in person and his charge at the opposition party of obstructing Parliament and hurting the economy.
"I try to answer all questions that have been raised. I have no desire to hide anything from Parliament, whether it is the coal matter, or other matters. I have been as forthright as I can." Noting that he had made a long statement on the coal matters in the previous session of Parliament, Singh said he was not allowed to read that statement but he did issue it and it is a public document. "So I am an open book."
To a related query on why he has not gone ahead and said he is ready for questioning in the coal scam as he did on the 2G spectrum controversy, the prime minister in a forthright reply asserted, "I have not prevented anybody from looking at my conduct."
Replying to a question he said there is no proposal under consideration to create a separate Vidarbha out of Maharashtra on the lines of Telangana statehood.