Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hinted Monday he could one day step down in favor of Rahul Gandhi, heir to the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, as he was questioned on his possible early retirement. “I sometimes feel younger people should take over.... I would be very happy to make place for anybody the Congress party chooses,” Singh said at a press conference marking his government's first year in office. Singh took question on the growing economy, ties with Pakistan, government performance, nuclear bill, security and issues of succession. He denied any differences between with Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi, Rahul's mother and the real power behind the government. Singh, who underwent heart surgery last year, praised Gandhi's work with the youth wing of the Congress party, and insisted his absence from the current cabinet was of Gandhi's own choosing. “Rahul is well qualified to hold a cabinet post,” Singh said, adding that he had discussed the issue with him several times. “But he has always been reluctant to give a positive answer, telling me he has duties to perform in reviving the Congress party and he's doing a very good job.” Singh, who staked his personal reputation on a civilian nuclear deal with the United States in 2008, is unlikely to fight another election. Pressed on whether he might step down before the end of the government's current term, Singh said his focus was on fulfilling his responsibilities as prime minister. “I have been given this task. It is still unfinished. Till I finish, there is no question of retirement,” he said. Defends against criticisms Singh said he failed to do enough in his first year, but defended himself against criticisms of weak leadership and said progress would soon be made on concerns like high inflation. Inflation would moderate to around 5 to 6 percent in December, he said Despite being freed from the shackles of needing communist support in the second term, his government has floundered on inflation, struggled against a Maoist insurgency, and managed its political allies so badly its substantial parliamentary majority dwindled. “I would be the first person to admit that we could have done more,” Singh said .The press conference was one of only a handful he has given since first coming to power in 2004. It appeared an attempt to show he was pushing policies rather than reacting to problems ranging from the global credit crunch to a cricket corruption scandal. But he gave nothing new away, in line with his image of a reticent politician who is uncomfortable both with 21st century PR techniques and calls for faster action on policies. Access to Headley Singh said he had been assured India would get access to David Headley, a Chicago man who pleaded guilty of working with the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba to plan the strike. He hoped political parties would pass a delayed nuclear liability bill needed to allow entry of US atomic energy firms into India. He said the central government along with state governments would take more steps to battle inflation, and that he sees growth in 2010/11 rising to 8.5 percent. Despite investor criticism, the government has won praise for a sound fiscal policy that has helped protect India from the worst of the global credit crisis. Growth is one of the fastest in the world and there have been some tentative steps to reforms. Singh said that the record of the first year was a “record of reasonable achievement”, listing high inclusive growth, strong social sector spending and a satisfactory foreign policy among its successes. Indian media has given the government a mixed review in a year in which a slew of crises, including a parliamentary confidence vote, buffeted the government and distracting it from concentrating on economic issues. Singh said he hoped all political parties will support nuclear liability bill.
