Rejecting as a "malicious campaign" media reports suggesting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may be replaced by his party soon, the Congress on Monday night said there is "no doubt" that he will continue till 2014.
The party also dismissed reports about differences between Dr Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi and claimed that the two shared a "perfect" relationship.
"No new decision has been taken about this issue in any other manner. The party has repeated its position more than once. We had said it before the 2009 Lok Sabha elections -- that Manmohan Singh will be our prime minister," AICC General Secretary Janardan Dwivedi said.
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'There cannot be a better relationship'
"There is no doubt that Manmohan Singh will remain prime minister till 2014. What you are referring to as reports are not news reports but rumours and a malicious campaign, which we not only refute but also condemn. As far the relationship between the prime minister and party president Sonia Gandhi is concerned, this is a perfect relationship. There cannot be a better relationship between any party president and prime minister than the one which exists between the two," he said.
The party had on Sunday also sought to dismiss the perception that Gandhi had forced a reluctant prime minister to drop two Union ministers -- Ashwani Kumar and Pawan Kumar Bansal -- saying it was a "joint decision".
Both Bansal and Kumar were considered to be close to the prime minister.
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'Manmohan Singh will remain the PM'
In an unusual rebuttal of media reports, which had said that Gandhi had prevailed over Dr Singh, who was not keen on removing the ministers, Dwivedi said, "This perception is not correct".
"Whenever there is an occasion, the party has said clearly that Manmohan Singh will remain the PM till 2014. The same situation prevails now," Dwivedi said.
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