NEW DELHI. Dec 11: The knives were out for Indian' Finance Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday after his Songress Party colleagues amed his economic reforms for an electoral rout in two important southern states, reports Reuter.

Congress deputies said a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, summoned for late on Saturday by Prime Minister P V Narashima Rao to review the party's debacle in thq southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka I targeted Singh.

In a front-page article. Delhi's Aslan Age newspaper said the consensus within Congress was that Singh was the vtllairj.

"If reforms begun to hurt the people they become useless." a government minister due to attend the CWC meeting told Reuters. 'Naturally, we have to respect the people's verdict. That's always more' important than any individual.''

Congress was trounced In the two states, regarded as Rao's power base, over an opposition campaign against Sigh's three-year-old economic reforms, mainly Over food subsidies.

The regional Telugu Desam Party swept the Andhra Pradesh polls with a promise of subsidised rice for the poor. The state's Congress leaders are reportedly livid that Rao

did not allow them to match the populist offer.

In Karnataka, where farmers have attacked offices of the US-based Cargill multinational group, the opposition carried out an open campaign against Rao's policy of free entry to foreign investors.

Rao's colleagues say his ■ main election plank — the three-year-old economic reforms — was a disastrous choice.

There were those who blamed the reforms for the poll defeat, but accused Rao rather than Singh for the rout.

Former congress parlia-ijnentary affairs minister Rangarajan Kumaramangalam said Singh was being made a scapegoat to save Rao.

Tn fact, in my years as a colleague of the Finance Minister 1 got a distinct impression that he was more cautious about the speed of the reforms.- It Was the Prime Minister who pushed him hard into making errors.

"MAnmohan Singh is being blamed for what is clearly the Prime Minister's baby." said Kumaramangalam. who resigned from Rao’s cabinet last year over differences on reforms among other issues.

Singh, due to present the budget in February, has also been the victipi of Congress Party rivalries.

Newspapers have identified Commerce Minister Pranab

Mukherjee as a contender for Singh’s high-profile Job.

Mukherjee on Friday deflected criticism of Singh’s reforms. saying the election debacle will not change the government's economic policies.

But Mukherjee has been highly critical Singh several key issues, including the Finance Minister's opposition to cash incentives for exporters. t

Singh has also been blamed by the opposition for not acting against ministers and officials named by a parliamentary report into India’s worst financial scandal.

Singh last year offered his resigpation over .the standoff.