Ready for third innings as PM? Too early to say: Singh ‘Will Complete Term & Push Key Reforms’

On Board PM's Special Aircraft: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday refrained from spelling out whether he would serve a fresh term if the Congress leadership nominated him for the top job for a third time. 
    "These are all hypothetical issues. We will cross the bridge when we reach there," Singh told reporters while on his way back from Durban in South Africa after attending the BRICS summit. 
    He was responding to a question on whether he would agree to another innings as prime minister if asked by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and the party. 
    Singh's comment comes amid intense speculation over whether the Congress will declare its choice for prime minister before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. 
Chinese projects on river OK: PM P M Manmohan Singh has said Chinese projects on the Brahmaputra are not hindering the water flow to India, and China's new President Xi Jinping is ready to scrutinize such schemes in the Tibetan Autonomous Region. This allays fears that China is planning to dam the river. P 15 PM: Won't let coalition compulsions hit reforms 
    Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who should have been the natural choice, is seen as reluctant, although sources say he has denied having recently said that he is averse to being the PM. This was reiterated by Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh. 
    Given the backdrop, Singh's careful response to the question on the prospect of an extended tenure can potentially be interpreted to mean that he may not flinch from shouldering the responsibility if persuaded to do so by the Congress leadership. Singh also avoided a direct reply when asked whether he, having been PM for close to a decade and after a long career of public service, had the drive, energy and motivation to contribute more to public life. "I have tried my best to serve the country with all sincerity and all dedication. Whether I have succeeded or not is for the people of India to decide," he said. 
    The questioner had given the example of other world leaders who went on to accomplish a lot after they turned 80. Singh, who looked confident and relaxed, also asserted that his government would not just complete its term but also push through key reforms, its vulnerability because of the pullout of the DMK and the Samajwadi Party's increasingly aggressive posture notwithstanding—the seeming nonchalance perhaps stemming from the ability of Congress managers to find numbers to offset break-ups. 
    Asked if the SP, whose 22 members in the Lok Sabha are critical for the government, could withdraw support later this year, Singh said, "Well, obviously, coalitions raise issues that sometimes give the impression that these arrangements are not very stable arrangements. I cannot deny that such possibilities don't exist. But I am confident that our government will complete five years and the next Lok Sabha election will be held on schedule (in 2014)." 
    Singh disputed the assessment that the exit of the Trinamool and the DMK had showed the Congress could not hold on to allies, suggesting that the two constituents had to go because the demands they made could be accepted only at a cost to the reforms process and governance. "I don't share the view. I think that alliances do have compulsions which have to be taken into account. (But) we will not allow such compulsions to derail reforms or to create a situation that will compromise the essential task of governing a vast country like ours," he said. 
    The PM struck an assured note when asked if the government had lost its appetite to implement reforms, although he acknowledged uncertainties on that score. "It is not a once-for-all reforms set up that we are seeking by the way of reforms. Reforms certainly have to take into account the fact that we don't have the majority to get Parliament to approve some of our reforms proposals. So we are certainly dependent on the goodwill of some of our allies. I would be the last one to deny that there are uncertainties. But even then, we are confident that on reforms that matter, and that are going to yield results in the next few months, we will be able to push them," he said. 
    Singh agreed that the current account deficit, now standing at 6.7% of GDP, was a cause for concern. "The current account deficit does worry me. It is our expectation that we will be able to finance it, though in the medium term, we must seek to bring the current account deficit to a more acceptable limit, which I believe in our country would be about 3% of GDP," he said. 
PM parries queries on Italian marines 
On Board PM's Special Aircraft: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh refused to answer questions on the Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen, saying the matter was sub-judice. "This is now a story which is part of the judicial process... It would be much too presumptuous on my part to comment on an issue that is sub-judice," he said. TNN

    These are 
    all hypothetical issues. We will cross the bridge when we reach there 
—MANMOHAN SINGH ON WHETHER HE WOULD SERVE A THIRD TERM IF ASKED BY PARTY