Indian PM: Rahul Gandhi ideal to succeed his position

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that the scion of Nehru-Gandhi family and the ruling Congress party's second-in-command, Rahul Gandhi, is the ideal choice to succeed him if the political outfit comes to power again after next year's general elections. "Rahul Gandhi would be ideal for the Prime Minister's position after the 2014 elections. I would be very happy to work for the Congress party under the leadership of Mr Gandhi," Singh told media on board his special aircraft while returning to the national capital after attending the G20 Summit in Russia. Singh's remarks indicate that he is ruling out a third term as the country's Prime Minister if the Congress comes to power for a third consecutive five-year team in elections slated for May next year, amid a growing clamour in the party that Gandhi be officially named the candidate for the top post. Gandhi, the son of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and late Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, has so far not made a definitive comment on his ambitions of becoming the country's top leader.