New Delhi, Feb 16 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday said he had never felt like resigning because he had a job to do and there was a lot of unfinished work.

"I have never felt like quitting, I will stay the course," the prime minister told television editors and bureau chiefs at a media interaction at 7 Race Course Road, his official residence.

"I never felt like resigning because I had a job to do," Manmohan Singh said in response to a question on whether he felt like quitting over the many allegations of corruption against his government.

"We have a lot of unfinished business to accomplish," he said, adding that he had "never thought of giving up half way".

"In a coalition government, there is a coalition dharma," he stated.

Manmohan Singh said he was not afraid of appearing before any committee, including a joint parliamentary committee (JPC).

There is, he said, an "entirely wrong impression that I was blocking the agreement on a JPC. I have always said my conduct should be, like Caesar's wife, above suspicion".

Corrupt Will be Severely Punished

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday promised that those found guilty of corruption would be "severely punished".

"I, through your medium, am promising the people of India that anybody found guilty of corruption will be severely punished," Manmohan Singh told a group of TV editors here.

We're Evolving Consensus on Telangana

The Telangana issue is complicated but the government is trying to evolve a consensus on it, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said here Wednesday.

"This is a complicated issue and we are trying to evolve a consensus," Manmohan Singh said at an interaction with editors of the electronic media here when asked about the carving out of a separate state of Telangana in Andhra Pradesh.

"The home minister has had a meeting with all political parties," he said, A report has been drawn up, it has been studied and "after this will come a phase of consultation", he said.

"That process must be allowed to be pursued to its logical conclusion," Manmohan Singh said.

Pressed for the government's stand on Telangana, he said "we would cross the bridge" when we come to it.

Government Deserves Credit for Tackling Terrorism

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Wednesday the "government deserves some credit" for tackling the internal security situation and preventing terrorist attacks.

Addressing television editors here, Manmohan Singh said: "Though there are some concerns regarding inernal security, we are better prepared to tackle and to prevent terror attempts. The government deserves some credit for this."

Manmohan Singh said talks with the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) will have "far-reaching consequences".

He said the "situation in Jammu and Kashmir is under control" after a phase of turbulence adding a number of committees were working to tackle the problems of the state.

Manmohan Singh said the report of the Rangarajan Committee - appointed to suggest ways to deal with the problem of unmeployment in Kashmir - is expected to help solve the problems of the young people of the state.

World Marvels at India

Whatever the domestic weaknesses, we should not create an atmosphere where the country loses confidence as the world really marvels at India's growth and its functioning democracy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Wednesday.

Addressing TV editors here, the prime minister said that as far as the external situation was concerned, this fiscal year all the top leaders of the five permanent members of the Security Council had visited the country.

"This has never happened before," he said.

The world, he said, appreciated that India was a "functioning democracy committed to the rule of law".

"Wherever I go, people marvel there is a country like India," the prime minister said, adding that this was a country committed to the respect for all fundamental freedoms, "managing to grow at 8-9 percent per annum".

"People marvel that this can be done," Manmohan Singh said.

Whatever our own domestic weaknesses, he added, we shouldn't create an atmosphere whereby a country loses its self confidence.