Never felt like resigning, I have a job to do: PM

PTI

New Delhi, 16 February 2011: Admitting that “some compromises” have to be made in managing a coalition, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday declared that his government will bring the wrongdoers in scams to book but ruled out quitting from his post.

 

He asserted that his government was not lame duck nor was he a lame duck Prime Minister and it was a functioning government that would go after scamsters.

 

On the 2G scam involving former Telecom Minister A. Raja, the Prime Minister said concerns were expressed but he did not press for auction after Ministries of Telecom and Finance agreed to go by the prevailing practice of not auctioning the spectrum which was also supported by expert bodies like TRAI and Telecom Commission.

 

 

About re-induction of Mr. Raja despite complaints, he said in a coalition, it was not in his hands about whom to be inducted from a coalition partner. “You cannot suggest your preferences and you have to go by the choice of the leader of the party.

 

“Raja and Dayanidhi Maran were the choice of the DMK and I had no reason to feel that anything seriously wrong has been done. I did not feel that I had the authority to object to Raja’s entry although complaints were coming from some companies who were not benefitted and some who had not benefitted adequately. I was not in a position to make up my mind about Raja,” he said.

 

The Prime Minister said “in a coalition, there is a coalition dharma. Obviously, things are not entirely what I would like them to be. I never felt like resigning as I have a job to do.

 

“The country voted our party to be the leader of the UPA coalition and we have lot of unfinished tasks to be accomplished. I have never felt of giving up halfway. I will stay the course. I never thought of resigning,” he told television editors at an interaction here.

 

During the 70-minute interaction, the Prime Minister fielded a wide range of questions covering mainly issues of corruption including the ISRO’s deal on S-band spectrum, governance deficit, economy and the Parliament standoff.

 

Dr. Singh also made it clear that he was not afraid of facing any Parliamentary committee including a JPC on 2G scam. He said all efforts were being made and talks were on with opposition to ensure smooth budget session of Parliament.

 

“I don’t say I have never made any mistake. But I am not that big a culprit as being made out to be,” he said in reply to a question whether he would accept personal responsibility as head of the government for whatever has happened in the government.

 

“I am conscious about personal responsibility. I feel about it. My compulsion is that I have to bear a lot because we cannot have elections every six months. Some compromises have to be made in managing a coalition. A coalition government has to be viewed in a context that no single party has emerged to rule by itself,” he said.