On Board Air India One: Is Manmohan Singh open to a third term as Prime Minister if the UPA returns to power in the 2014 general elections? Dr Singh didn't say yes, but he didn't reject the idea either while speaking to mediapersons on board Air India One as he returned from the BRICS Summit in Durban yesterday.
"These are hypothetical questions. We will cross that bridge when we reach there," he remarked.
Asked whether he would still have the drive or the energy to continue to contribute to public life now that he is in his '80s, the Prime Minister said, "I have tried my very best to serve this country with all sincerity, with all dedication. Whether I have succeeded or not, it is for the public at large -- the people of India -- to judge."
Speaking of his minority government's precarious position post the exit of the Trinamool Congress and the DMK, Dr Singh acknowledged that he cannot "rule out the possibility" of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav pulling the rug from under the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, but was confident that his government would complete its full term.
Dr Singh's government relies heavily on Mr Yadav's crucial external support of 22 MPs in the Lok Sabha, especially after the DMK pulled out of the ruling UPA alliance earlier this month. Over the last week, Mr Yadav has made several statements to indicate that he could be rethinking that support. In the recent past, he has also repeatedly told his partymen to be ready for early elections. (Congress 'cheats and is clever': Mulayam Singh Yadav)
"These are hypothetical questions. We will cross that bridge when we reach there," he remarked.
Asked whether he would still have the drive or the energy to continue to contribute to public life now that he is in his '80s, the Prime Minister said, "I have tried my very best to serve this country with all sincerity, with all dedication. Whether I have succeeded or not, it is for the public at large -- the people of India -- to judge."
Dr Singh's government relies heavily on Mr Yadav's crucial external support of 22 MPs in the Lok Sabha, especially after the DMK pulled out of the ruling UPA alliance earlier this month. Over the last week, Mr Yadav has made several statements to indicate that he could be rethinking that support. In the recent past, he has also repeatedly told his partymen to be ready for early elections. (Congress 'cheats and is clever': Mulayam Singh Yadav)
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
SA20 Season 3 Player Auction To Be Held In October All You Need To Know About New Thailand PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra "Natural Disasters Increasing Concerns": PM Modi On Independence Day Champai Soren On His Way To Delhi Amid Big Defection Buzz: Sources Indian-Origin Family, On Way To Daughter's College, Killed In US Car Crash Woman Doctor Assaulted By Drunk Patient, His Relatives At Mumbai Hospital Punjab Girl Gang-Raped In Public Bus In Dehradun, Roadways Staff Detained After Backlash Over Freshers' Pay, Cognizant Clarifies What Techies Get MCC NEET UG Counselling 2024: Round 1 Final Seat Matrix, NRI List Out Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.