New Delhi: Reacting sharply to CPI-M (Communist Party of India-Marxist) leader Somnath Chatterjee's remark that senior Congress leader Manmohan Singh was expected to be a good Prime Minister, Congress today (Jan 10, 2004) said that other parties had no business to decide on its Prime Ministerial candidate.

Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Ayer said that irrespective of the fact whether a particular party shared the secular ideals of Congress or not, it had no business to decide on the matter and added the party would not change its leader at the behest of those parties.

Congress general secretary Ambika Soni said it was for the people to decide the Prime Minister and it would become evident from the number of votes a party polled in elections.

Reacting to Chatterjee's remark, RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal) vice-president Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said that such issues should be decided through consensus and not by propping some name suddenly. RJD shares power with Congress in Bihar.

NCP (National Congress Party) leader Tariq Anwar said if being a good administrator was the criterion, and then his party leader Sharad Pawar could become an able Prime Minister.

Chatterjee had said yesterday (Jan 9,2004) that Manmohan Singh was known to be a good administrator. He has held many important positions including the Governorship of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and has been found to be a man of great circumspection.