Manmohan Singh to be sworn in as India's PM on Friday

New Delhi, May 19 (PTI) Manmohan Singh, who had taken
on the opposition BJP in his own way during the campaign, was
Tuesday nominated as Congress Parliamentary Party leader by
party chief Sonia Gandhi and is likely to be sworn in as Prime
Minister for a second term on Friday.

Gandhi, who was elected Chairperson of the
Parliamentary Party, nominated 76-year-old Singh as the CPP
leader at a meeting of the newly-elected MPs in the Central
Hall of Parliament.

"Friends, as per provision of Clause 5B of the
Constitution of the Congress Parliamentary Party, I name Dr
Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minister and urge you to support
this by acclamation," she said to unanimous approval by the
members, who thumped the desks.

Singh, who was already named the prime ministerial
candidate of the party, will have the distinction of becoming
the prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru to get a fresh term
after a full five-year term.

Fresh from the spectacular victory in the Lok Sabha
polls, the meeting saw Gandhi, asking Congress workers to put
the party before self, remain disciplined and united to emerge
even stronger in the future.

"The people's verdict tells us that above all else
they crave for honest and capable governance and decency in
public life. We must not disappoint them," Gandhi said.

In his acceptance speech, Singh said the "impressive
mandate" came with "the challenge of rising expectations".

"The youth of India, inspired by the leadership of
Rahul Gandhi, have voted in large numbers for our party.But it
is in the nature of the youth to be impatient. They will not
tolerate business as usual. They expect us to work with
renewed energy," he said.

He also spoke of the need for reforms and to reverse
the slowing down of investment and employment generation
caused by the global economic slowdown.

The Prime Minister also sought to reach out to the
opposition parties. With the disruptions in the 14th Lok
Sabha, apparently weighing heavily on his mind, the Prime
Minister hoped that the 15th Lok Sabha will witness "a more
cooperative atmosphere and more productive proceedings."

"We will extend a hand of friendship to members of all
political parties, cutting across the political spectrum and
invite them to play the role of a constructive opposition,"
Singh said.

Naming Singh as prime minister, Gandhi said "His
dignified, determined and effective leadership of
the government has been an inspiration for us all and has
received overwhelming approval from the people of the
country," she said.

Gandhi also hailed Singh's record as Prime Minister
for the past five years and said, "We look forward to his
leadership in the coming years."

Expressing happiness that there were several new and
younger faces among the elected members, she said, "As party
members, whether occupying government office or not, whether
having a position in the organisation or not, we have a duty
to remain disciplined and united, putting party before self."

"After many years of fractious politics, we should
work together with the Parliamentary representatives of all
parties towards restoring the decorum of political discourse,"
she said.

The CPP unanimously adopted a resolution thanking the
people for the "clear mandate" and assuring them that the
party would strive to fulfil the promises in the election
manifesto.

"The verdict of the voter in 2009 is visibly and
strongly different from the mandate in previous elections
during a decade and a half. The people of India have given a
mandate for secularism and inclusive growth. ... It has
become a watershed verdict for the welfare of the aam aadmi
(common man)," Gandhi said.

Buoyed over the poll verdict, Gandhi told the meeting
"we have seen that notions such as anti-incumbency, and pulls
and pressures from caste or region, can be overcome by
dedication and real work." PTI