New Delhi, Feb. 16: The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, on Wednesday defended himself citing coalition compulsions.
“You cannot suggest your preferences, you have to go by the choice of the leader of the party. Mr Raja and Mr Dayanidhi Maran were the choice of the DMK and I had no reason to feel that anything seriously wrong had been done. I did not feel that I had the authority to object to Mr Raja’s entry although complaints were coming from some companies who were not benefited and some who had not benefited adequately. I was not in a position to make up my mind about Mr Raja,” he said.
His strained relations with the Opposition, especially the BJP, became clear when he blamed the Opposition for not cooperating with the government on “path-breaking reforms” like the goods and services tax.
During his 70-minute interaction with editors of TV channels, he responded to all questions, making clear that his government is dead serious about bringing to book “all wrongdoers, regardless of the position they occupy”.
“I never felt like resigning, I have a job to do. I never thought of giving up halfway,” he said. “The country voted our party to be the leader of the UPA coalition and we have a lot of unfinished tasks to be accomplished. I have never thought of giving up halfway. I will stay the course. I never thought of resigning,” he said.
To a specific question on whether he would be ready to be projected as a candidate for Prime Minister in the next elections, Dr Singh said, “It is too early. We still have a long way to go.
I have to complete this term.”