The Congress could not spare Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the party said Thursday, ruling out his candidature as president
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"Manmohan Singh will stay prime minister till 2014," Congress leader Janardhan Dwivedi told reporters. "We cannot afford to spare Dr. Manmohan Singh," he added.
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Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh
It was the first comment of the party since Trinamool Congress' Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party's Mulayam Singh Yadav Wednesday listed Manmohan Singh as one of their preferred choices for the president's post.
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Congress has also rejected the names of Abdul Kalam and Somnath Chatterjee as Presidential nominees.