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Indian Congress Leader Gandhi Declines to Be Premier (Update3)

May 18 (Bloomberg) -- Sonia Gandhi, who led the Congress party to a surprise victory in India's elections, said she won't be prime minister. Stocks rose on speculation former Finance Minister Manmohan Singh may get the top job.

``I have always followed my inner voice,'' Italian-born Gandhi told a meeting of her parliamentary party in New Delhi. ``Today that voice tells me I should not accept this post.''

Gandhi, 57, whose husband Rajiv and mother-in-law Indira both served as prime minister and were assassinated, stepped aside after protests by opposition parliamentarians over the prospect of a foreign-born leader. The meeting ended without a decision on the post, and Gandhi did not say when she would make an announcement.

Her decision may bolster Congress and its allies, which beat the rival Bharatiya Janata Party in elections that ended on May 10. While Gandhi didn't say who would be prime minister, Indian stocks rose on speculation she would step aside in favor of Singh, 71, who a decade ago helped boost economic growth by opening the nation to foreign investment.

``Singh would be extremely well-received by the market,'' said Humphrey Carey, who oversees about $4 billion of emerging- market stocks at F&C Management Ltd. in London, and said he has been increasing his holdings in India. ``Singh has demonstrated that he is pro-economic reform.''

Singh's Record

As finance minister in 1991, Singh cut import tariffs, opened industry to foreign investors including Ford Motor Co. and AT&T Corp., and removed state controls on companies. He was also governor of India's central bank from 1982 to 1985.

The NDTV 24x7 television channel reported that Gandhi was considering turning down the premiership, and that Singh might be named, shortly before the market closed. The 30-share Sensitive index, the Mumbai stock exchange's benchmark, jumped 371.86, or 8.3 percent, to close at 4877.02, the biggest one-day gain since March 1, 1999. The S&P/CNX Nifty Index of 50 stocks on the National Stock Exchange gained 113.5,or 8.2 percent, to 1502.25.

The gain almost erased yesterday's loss, sparked by concern that opposition to Gandhi would paralyze her government and that communist parties allied with Congress might undo policies that spurred the fastest economic growth in 15 years.

``By renouncing the post, Sonia is proving a point and yet saying that I am not for self-grandeur,'' said B.G. Verghese, an analyst at New Delhi's Center for Policy Research. ``Manmohan has an international image and has championed reforms. He has an unblemished character. This shows that economics is going to be in the driver's seat.''

Congress Allies

The Congress party won 145 seats in the 545-member lower house of parliament and is poised to form the new government with the support of 72 members from a dozen other parties. With communist parties promising support, Congress will cross the 272- seat mark needed for a majority.

Protests by the Bharatiya Janata Party of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee against her foreign origins caused ``emotional distress'' to Gandhi, said Congress party official Salman Khurshid. ``It is an attempt to wreck a moment of glory and happiness for the whole country,'' Khurshid said.

Gandhi, who was elected unopposed on Saturday as the party's leader in parliament, paving the way for her to be prime minister, had promised a ``purposeful, effective government focused on accelerating employment, growth and investment.''

The rise of Gandhi, a Roman Catholic in the world's biggest Hindu nation, makes her fourth in a political dynasty that has headed the 119-year-old political party that ran India after independence from Britain in 1947.

Nehru-Gandhi Line

Sonia's husband Rajiv, assassinated during the 1991 election campaign, was prime minister from 1984 to 1989. He succeeded his mother Indira, murdered by her Sikh bodyguards. Indira's father, Jawaharlal Nehru, died in his bed after ruling the nation from independence to 1964. Her son, Rahul Gandhi, 34, is a first-time member of parliament in the new house.

Investors and executives say they are counting on Singh to sustain the momentum in an economy that the government estimates grew 8.1 percent in the year ended March 31, the fastest pace in 15 years, by spending more on roads, power plants and irrigation, and attracting domestic and overseas investment.

``He is one character who has stood by what he has said, and has not been controversial in any manner,'' said Sunil Kant Munjal, managing director of Hero Honda Motors Ltd., India's biggest motorcycle maker. ``As far as reform goes, he clearly was one of the more progressive people.''

To contact the reporter on this story:

Bibhudatta Pradhan in New Delhi at c [email protected].

To contact the editor responsible for this story:

Ravi Velloor at [email protected].

Last Updated: May 18, 2004 12:48 EDT