Debate over next Congress PM candidate on in the party

NEW DELHI: The debate on the next Congress' Prime Ministerial candidate refused to die down with the party saying the issue will be decided around the polls next year.

Notwithstanding a curious statement by party General Secretary Janardan Dwivedi that the equation between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party President Sonia Gandhi was an ideal model that can continue for future, another General Secretary Digvijay Singh stuck to his guns that the experiment has failed.

At the AICC briefing, a flurry of questions were thrown at the party spokesperson P C Chacko as to who is party's Prime Ministerial candidate in the 2014 elections.

At the outset, he parroted Dwivedi's yesterday's statement on dual power centre model and said he has nothing more to add or subtract.

But when asked specifically whether Singh is their PM candidate for 2014 elections or not, Chacko replied "Lok Sabha elections are far away. We do not do like that. We do not take decisions this way..somebody projecting somebody".

Asked whether he is ruling out the candidature of Manmohan Singh for the third term, Chacko said that the party will take a collective decision when the time comes."

But, he hastened to add, "He (Manmohan Singh) is eminently suited for the post. Your question is right but the decision will be taken after 2014".