'I don't want to be PM'

At the CPP meeting Sonia Gandhi said her decision is irreversible. However, she didn't name any successor.

At the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting on Tuesday evening, the Congress president Sonia Gandhi declined to head the new Government. She said that it was never her aim to be the prime minister.

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Requesting all to respect her decision, she said that will not change her decision under any circumstances.

"I am following my inner voice" she said while declining to take up the Prime Minister's post.

"We have won a successful battle but the war is yet to be won. I appeal to you to understand my request and accept my decision," she asserted.

Gandhi said that her foremost responsibility was to give the country a secular government which was strong and stable, she said.

"As one of you and the president of Congress, I pledge to work with you for the Congress party towards our vision and principles" she added.

The Congress MPs repeatedly surrounded her to persuade her to reverse her decision. They shouted that she should not bow to any pressure to which Gandhi responded by saying that "there is no blackmail from any party. This is my inner voice and conscience."

She said that "my resolve will all the more be firm to fight for the vision and ideals. My aim has always been to defend secularism. We have taken significant steps towards this goal," she said.

Sources confirmed that the 57-year-old Italy-born widow of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had made known her decision to the party on Monday evening itself.

He said the toss-up to lead the new Government was between senior leaders Manmohan Singh or Pranab Mukherjee.

The dramatic development over the new government formation took place in the afternoon when Gandhi, who had met President A P J Abdul Kalam in the morning and was to meet him again on Wednesday, dispatched party seniors to leaders of allied parties, conveying her decision not to take up the top post.