New Delhi, Mar 30: Congress ministers on Friday downplayed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's remarks appearing not to rule out his being in the PM race for a third term but party spokesperson Rashid Alvi said people have a desire that Rahul Gandhi should be the Prime Minister.
Alvi said," the Prime Minister's statement is very clear. No clarification is needed on it and till 2014, Manmohan Singhji is the Prime Minister of the country."
He said that after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the newly-elected party MPs and the Congress leadership will take the decision who will be the Prime Minister.
Alvi at the same time significantly added "Workers of the Congress party have the desire from their heart that Rahulji should be the Prime Minister."
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's cryptic remark leaving open the possibility of him being in the race for a third term prompted BJP to call him a "reluctant" politician who has shown his true "political colours".
Asked by reporters on Thursday night whether he would accept another term in office if Congress President Sonia Gandhi offers him prime ministership again after 2014, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said: "these are all hypothetical questions. We will cross that bridge when we reach there".
Rahul Gandhi had recently maintained that asking him about Prime Ministership is putting a "wrong question" to him.
Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh had said that the model of having "two power centres" has not worked well and suggested that Rahul Gandhi should not opt to nominate a Prime Minister if the party gets a majority in the next Lok Sabha polls.
"...I strongly feel that ...When time comes and if the Congress gets majority or it is in a position to form the government, I think Rahul Gandhi should take the call.
"Even if a Congress-led coalition emerges, he (Rahul) is mature enough to handle the intricacies of coalition politics. Then ofcourse, we have senior leaders who have very successfully helped the UPA to complete two terms," Singh had said.
Union Minister and Congress leader Rajiv Shukla remarked that the Prime Minister had said nothing to suggest he was ready for a third term.
"In my view he was responding to a pointed question. And what he said? He only said that when bridge will come we will decide how to cross it," he said.
Shukla also appeared to suggest that the media was giving different interpretations to Singh's remark.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said that the Prime Minister was responding to a "hypothetical" question and it was not essential to "unnecessarily interpret" his statement.
"There is nothing to add or susbtract to what the Prime Minister has said. He was responding to a hypothetical question and it not essential to unnecessarily interpret the PM's statement," Tewari told PTI.
