New Delhi, May 24
Clearly demonstrating that he is no push-over, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today firmly asserted that he had no plans to retire as he had unfinished tasks to complete. But being a party loyalist, he was equally quick to state that he would be willing to step aside if the Congress favoured a change of leadership.

Answering a host of questions during his first press conference to mark the completion of the first year of the UPA-II government, the Prime Minister dismissed suggestions about “mistrust and distrust” between him and Congress president Sonia Gandhi and heaped praise on Nehru-Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi who, he said, is eminently suited for a place in the Union Cabinet.

His firm response on these issues, however, contrasted sharply with his guarded replies to questions on the upcoming ministerial-level talks with Pakistan, UPA allies and the government’s policy on Naxalism, particularly Home Minister P. Chidamabram’s recent comment that he had a “limited mandate” in tackling this menace.

Asked if he thought of retiring, Singh told a packed house at the Vigyan Bhavan, “I have been given a task. It is still unfinished. Till I finish this task, there is no question of retirement.” At the same time, he said he was of the firm belief that younger people should take over and that he would be willing to step down when the Congress party takes that decision. “As and when, the Congress party makes that judgment, I will be very happy to make place for anybody chosen by the party,” he said.

The PM’s firm rejection of a gap between the Congress and the government comes at a time when the two have been speaking in different voices on a number of matters, especially the approach in tackling the Naxal menace. There is disagreement between Sonia Gandhi and the Prime Minister on bringing in amendments to the Right to Information Bill. Although the two are now on the same page on the resumption of talks with Islamabad, the party did not react favourably to the joint statement issued by India and Pakistan PMs at the Egyptian sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in which they delinked terror from talks.

This possibly explains his cautious response to queries on Pakistan and the controversy surrounding Chidambaram's statement that he had a “limited mandate” to tackle the left wing extremism. The Prime Minister did not deviate from the official position on Pakistan that the upcoming foreign minister-level talks were meant to reduce the trust deficit between the two neighbours.

Sidestepping queries on Chidambaram, the Prime Minister merely maintained that since the matter was “related to issues of strategy, it will be discussed in the appropriate forum and that is the Cabinet," adding that the minister had already explained what he meant by his statement.

The Prime Minister was equally diplomatic when questioned about his ministers going public with their differences on policy issues. While suggesting that “it is not good that ministers should air their differences in public,” the Prime Minister also remarked that it was a healthy development that they should express their differences freely.