I still have some time to complete my present term: PM

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the chief guest at the NDTV Indian of the Year 2012 today, said his government would last its full five years, and refused once again to comment on a third term as PM, saying, "I still have some time complete this term."

Asked by NDTV's Prannoy Roy whether he was enjoying being PM, Dr Singh said, "It's a great honour and my effort has been to do my best." (Read PM's full speech)

There has been much talk of early elections ever since the ruling Congress' ally, the DMK, walked out of the UPA last month, leaving Dr Singh's government heavily dependent on the external support that parties like Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party and Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party provide.

Mr Yadav has been extremely critical of the Congress recently, giving rise to speculation that he could pull the rug from under the UPA government any time. But Dr Singh and his senior ministers have maintained that they expect general elections to be held only when they are due - in mid-2014.

The 80-year-old Dr Singh has parried questions on whether he will accept the post of Prime Minister for a straight third term should the Congress return to power, but has not said an emphatic no.