Prime Minister-designate Manmohan Singh [ Images ] on Thursday kept up the suspense on who would be the next finance minister, saying he was yet to decide on the matter.

"I have not yet given a thought to it," Singh told reporters when asked if he would keep the finance portfolio to himself.

Return of Manmohanomics

It was during his tenure as finance minister in P V Narasimha Rao's government that India [ Images ] took the bold decision of starting economic reforms in 1991 after the country pledged its gold reserves to prevent a default in repayment of external debt.

There are speculations that the responsibility of the finance ministry might fall on senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee [ Images ] or former finance minister in United Front Government P Chidambaram [ Images ], if Singh chooses not to retain the finance portfolio with him.