Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today dismissed suggestions that the Congress party's defeat in the Lok Sabha by-election is a referendum or a reflection on his government's performance and the Congress party. "One by-election in a particular part of the country cannot be considered a reflection on the performance of my government or Congress party," he said. He was replying to a question by a reporter who said some people were saying that the defeat in Hisar was a referendum against his government and party. Opposition parties have called yesterday's by-election rout of the Congress as a vote against the government in the context of various scams and even a referendum against the government on corruption.
