Prime minister-designate Manmohan Singh's younger sister on Thursday said an astrologer had predicted about 40 years back that her brother would hold "some top post".

Amarjit Kaur, who is married to cloth merchant Charanjit Singh Sahni and lives in Kapurthala, Punjab, said she came to know about the prediction from her father Gurmukh Singh.

Kaur said the astrologer had also said that their parents would not live long enough to see Singh reach that post.

"The entire family became emotional when we heard the news that Manmohan will be India's next prime minister. I along with my husband had gone to Dehra Dun to attend a family function when we came to know the good news," she said.

Praising Gursharan Kaur, Manmohan's wife, she said that her sister-in-law devotes time to reciting Gurbani and cooking.

Kaur said her brother is a "broadminded" person, as is evident from the fact that his two daughters are married in Hindu families. The third daughter is unmarried and is pursuing studies abroad.

"My brother is a straightforward and honest man and no one in the family dares to ask for favours from him," she said.