Dr Singh wants Rahul to join the cabinet

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday made it clear that Manmohan Singh will be the prime minister and he said he would like to have Rahul Gandhi in his cabinet.

"The party and Rahul Gandhi have time and again made it clear that Manmohan Singh will be the prime minister," Gandhi told reporters when asked about the role of Rahul in the government.

"It is for the prime minister to decide on Rahul Gandhi's role in the new government," she said when asked whether her son will join the cabinet.

Singh and Gandhi appeared before the media at her 10 Janpath residence, after the prime minister visited the Congress chief to greet her over the Congress' victory.

Both the leaders thanked the people for reposing faith in the Congress and the United Progressive Alliance for giving them a fresh mandate.

When pressed again on the issue of Rahul joining the cabinet, Singh said he had tried in the past and would again try to persuade him to join the cabinet. In his brief remark, the prime minister said the people of India have spoken and they have spoken with 'great clarity'.

"They have expressed faith in the Congress, in the visionary leadership of Sonia Gandhi and the sustained hard work by youth leader Rahul," he said.

The prime minister said the UPA is committed to providing a 'stable, strong government which is committed to secular values. He appealed to all secular political parties to join hands with the government and show the world that 'we stand as one nation'.

Gandhi, on her part, thanked the people for reposing faith in the party and said eventually the people of India knew what is good for them and they always make the right choice.

"We all worked under his (Mamohan Singh) leadership and the UPA worked very hard to fulfill the promises made. I believe people have appreciated the fact that we have worked hard, that we think of them, that we work for them with sincerity and dedication," she said.

Asked whether Rahul Gandhi would join the cabinet, she said that will be the decision of the prime minister. 

With additional inputs from PTI