NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh vowed yesterday to stay in office to press ahead with reforms, denying a series of massive corruption scandals had made him a lame duck leader.
Allegations the government may have lost up to $39 billion in revenue after companies were awarded telecoms deals at rock-bottom prices in return for kickbacks have caused months of parliamentary paralysis, rocked the ruling coalition and rattled India’s markets.
“Whatever some people may say, that we are a lame duck government, that I am a lame duck prime minister, we take our job very seriously,” an often frail-looking Singh, 78, said in a rare media roundtable with TV editors to improve his worsening image.
“We are here to govern, and to govern effectively. Tackle the problems as they arise and get this country moving forward.”
The Congress party-led government is currently not at risk of collapsing due to the support it has from coalition allies.
But that Singh was forced to deny talk of resignation underscored both the gravity of the scandals and how Singh’s decision-making has been paralysed in his second term despite being re-elected in 2009 with an increased majority.
The last parliamentary session was halted by opposition protests demanding a cross-party probe into the telecoms scam, effectively stopping any reform bills such as one to make land acquisition easier for both industry and farmers.
