PM rules out early elections, says Government is stable

On Board Air India One, Mar 29 (ANI): Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has said that the UPA government at the Centre will complete its full term and the Lok Sabha elections will take place only in 2014 as scheduled.

"Obviously coalitions face issues. Sometimes, they give the impression that these arrangements are not very stable and I cannot deny that those possibilities exist. But I am confident our government will complete five years and that the next Lok Sabha elections will take place on schedule," Dr Singh said on board Air India One while returning from the BRICS summit in Durban.

Replying to a question whether the government has the wherewithal to sustain reforms, Dr. Singh said: "It is not a once for all set-up we are seeking by way of reforms. Reforms certainly have to take into account the fact that we don't have the majority to get the parliament to approve some of our reform proposals."

"So we are certainly dependent on the goodwill of our allies and I would be the last one to deny that there are uncertainties. But even then, we are confident that the reforms that matter, and which are going to yield results in the next few months, we will be able to push them," he added.

When asked whether he would accept a third term in office if Congress party is voted back to power after the 2014 general elections, Dr. Singh said: "These are hypothetical questions. We will cross that bridge, when we reach there."

The Congress-led UPA Government has been in a minority since September last year when Mamata Banerjee pulled out her Trinamool Congress over the Centre's economic reforms, including opening the retail sector to foreign super-chains like Wal-Mart.

Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has also evinced interest in forming a Third Front of political parties committed to social change in Maharashtra, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

The DMK also last week withdrew its support to the UPA over the issue of alleged human rights violations of Sri Lankan Tamils, and ruled out any reconsideration.

With the pullout of the 18 DMK MPs in the Lok Sabha, the strength of the UPA Government declines from 295 to 277 in the Rajya Sabha. (ANI)