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Indian PM Manmohan Singh to retire after elections Indian PM Manmohan Singh to retire after elections
(about 2 hours later)
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has announced that he will not stay in the post if his party wins the next election, due in the summer. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has announced that he will not stay in the post if his Congress party wins the next election, due in the summer.
He said he would "hand over the baton to a new PM". Mr Singh, 81, has been Indian PM for almost a decade.
Mr Singh has been India's PM for the past decade, heading a coalition government led by the Congress party. He said a Congress candidate would be named at the appropriate time, but that deputy leader Rahul Gandhi had "outstanding credentials".
Mr Singh was addressing a rare press conference - only the third such briefing during his whole term of office. Mr Singh said it would be "disastrous for the country" if opposition leader Narendra Modi were elected PM.
He is often criticised for lack of information on issues concerning his government. Mr Modi leads the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which recently beat Congress in assembly elections in four politically crucial states.
During the conference he also spoke about the economy and inflation, and on the issue of corruption. "Someone who presided over the massacre of innocent people should not be the prime minister," Mr Singh said in uncharacteristically harsh words for Mr Modi.
On Thursday, senior leader of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Arun Jaitley, said Mr Singh should explain how he thought history would judge his tenure, referring to the PM's "failure" to assert himself against corruption and his "subversion" of constitutional institutions. Mr Modi is the chief minister of the western state of Gujarat and has been accused of doing little to stop the 2002 anti-Muslim riots there which left more than 1,000 people dead. Mr Modi has always denied any wrongdoing.
"Since his government is perceived to be extremely corrupt, where does he feel he went wrong in not asserting himself when the situation so demanded," Mr Jaitley asked. The BJP condemned Mr Singh's remark, saying Mr Modi had made Gujarat "a model of development for the country".
In recent years, the government has faced several corruption charges and correspondents say public disenchantment with the authorities has been steadily rising. 'Hand over baton'
In the recently held assembly elections in four politically crucial states, Mr Singh's Congress party lost ground to the BJP and political analysts say it is unlikely the party will bounce back in time for the general election due in the next few months. For the past decade, Mr Singh has headed a coalition government led by Congress.
He has often been criticised for not speaking out more forcefully. Friday's press conference was only the third such briefing during his whole term of office.
Mr Singh spoke on a wide range of issues, including the economy, inflation and corruption.
"In a few months' time, after the general election, I will hand the baton over to a new prime minister," Mr Singh said in his opening remarks.
He said he was "confident" that the next prime minister would be from the Congress-led coalition and that Rahul Gandhi had outstanding credentials to be nominated as the party's candidate.
"I am confident that the new generation of our leaders will also guide this great nation successfully through the uncharted and uncertain waters of global change," he said.
"I have ruled myself out as a prime ministerial candidate," he added.
Mr Singh said the government was "deeply committed to the objective of combating corruption. An array of historical legislations has been enacted to make the work of the government transparent and accountable".
He defended his legacy, praised his government's work for the rural poor and farmers, and said that his government had "transformed the education landscape of the country".
Mr Singh has been one of India's longest serving prime ministers and is widely regarded as the architect of India's economic reforms programme.
However, in recent years, his government has been beset by corruption allegations, with disenchantment rising steadily.
On Thursday, senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said Mr Singh should explain how he thought history would judge his tenure, referring to the PM's "failure" to assert himself on corruption and his "subversion" of constitutional institutions.
"Since his government is perceived to be extremely corrupt, where does he feel he went wrong in not asserting himself when the situation so demanded?" Mr Jaitley asked.