Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's recent reply to L K Advani's challenge to appear in a televised debate shows that the soft-spoken PM is not a soft target. The PM said that he does not wish to privilege Advani with a debate thereby conferring upon him the status of a Prime Ministerial candidate. This means that Mr. Singh does not consider Advani to be PM material. Manmohan Singh has rightly noted that no one should aspire to be a leader just because he can talk louder than others. He called the nation's attention to a leader's ability to take vital decisions.

This brings us to the question, What kind of a Prime Minister does India deserve? It doesn't matter even if Advani doesn't get a chance to become the PM. We have seen enough of what he can do for the country while he was the Union Home Minister. Mayavati, the "Darling of the Dalits," needs to do a little more homework before she is ready to represent India before the comity of nations. She also has a lot of explaining to do about her burgeoning wealth and the 30,000 statues she has erected in UP for her own and her mentor Kanshi Ram's glory.

The largest democracy in the world, with a total population of 1200 million, has pressing domestic as well as international issues. The country faces the largest ever energy crisis. The gap between available energy (electricity as well as fossil fuels) and the present need keeps increasing. Urgent decisions have to be made if India's hopes of speedy economic progress should not be dashed to pieces. There is also an urgent need to build confidence in foreign as well as Indian investors after the shameful incidents that took place in Singur.

The world is going through a very bad credit crunch. Thousands in India too have lost their jobs and millions have suffered losses in the stock market. Although India's exploding population provides the necessary cushioning effect by creating internal demand for goods and services, those industries that depend on exports have been badly affected.

On the international front, India has to walk a tight rope when it comes to dealing with terrorism in South Asia. India has a vital role to play in the global economic arena. India's honour in today's world depends more on her human rights record, her ability to prevent riots based on religious differences, her ability to respect freedom of religion, and the promotion of excellence in government.

Given such a demanding task, we need to choose a PM based on merit alone. Excellence in the field of economics, a clean record of governance, foresight to identify and meet India's real needs, an

excellent standing among world leaders, prudence to speak less and to act more, courage to take on the opposition in Parliament, and the wisdom to bring positive change in the lives of children and youth who make up half the population of this country. These and many more similar qualities should be seen in an ideal candidate for the august office of the Prime Minister.