New Delhi, Feb. 16: The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, on Wednesday scotched speculation about his resignation against the backdrop of surfacing of various scams during the tenure of the UPA-II government, saying he would complete his full term.
He said his government was not a lame duck one, nor was he a lame duck Prime Minister, and that he would restructure the Union Cabinet after the Budget Session of Parliament.
Prime Minister Singh also said he was not afraid of appearing before any committee, including a JPC, on the 2G scam and criticised the Opposition, especially the BJP, for not allowing Parliament to function, taking a hostile view and being unwilling to cooperate with the path-breaking reforms of the government.
He was interacting with the media ahead of the Budget Session though he could have used the forum of Parliament to put the record straight on scams and remove speculation that he would quit halfway.
However, he preferred the press conference option and defended himself after realising that even the UPA constituents are on the defensive on this issue.
“I am conscious of personal responsibility, I feel about it (sic). My compulsion is that I have to bear a lot because we cannot have elections every six months. Some compromises have to be made in managing a coalition. A coalition government has to be viewed in the context that no single party has emerged to rule by itself,” he said.
On the re-induction of Mr A. Raja despite complaints, he said in a coalition the question of who to induct from a coalition partner was not in his hands.
Manmohan breaks his silence
The pm answered a barrage of questions which ranged from scams to cricket
WILL NOT QUIT
i have never felt like quitting because I had a job to do. I will stay the course. I am not afraid of appearing before any committee.
SCAMS, STASH
raja told me spectrum allocation would be transparent. We will book all wrongdoers regardless of their position in 2G spectrum, CWG, Isro and other scams. We will take all measures to control menace of black money.
DEVAS, ISRO
there have There have been no backroom talks... There has been no effort in the PMO to dilute in any way the decision taken by the Space Commission in July 2010.
GROWTH
I AM confident that inflation would fall to seven per cent by March and that the country would grow by 8.5 per cent. I hope you will see a clearer picture of the reform agendas.
CAESAR’S WIFE
I HAVE always said my conduct should be, like Caesar’s wife, above suspicion. I do not say that I have never made a mistake. But the kind of propaganda being done and shown, I am not a culprit to that extent.
SECURITY
though there are some concerns regarding internal security, we are better prepared to tackle and to prevent terror attempts. The government deserves some credit for this.
WORLD CUP
INDIA SHOULD win the World Cup.
Whatever some people may say, (that) we are a lame duck government and I am a lame duck Prime Minister, we take our job very seriously. -- Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister