Dr Manmohan Singh's sharp critique of Mr Modi came after he ruled out a third term for himself even if the Congress wins the national election, due by May. The PM, 81, said he believes his party's vice-president, 43-year-old Rahul Gandhi, is the best candidate for Prime Minister.

After the press meet of PM, BJP president Rajnath Singh stated that Manmohan Singh`s discussion with the press was "laughable", and it is meaningless to think about congress coming to power again. ‘Hence, the decision about Rahul as congress PM candidate is not a big deal before Modi’ he added.