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I am not escaping parliament,
polls on schedule: PM
By
Murali Krishnan
On
Board Air India One, Oct 26 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh Saturday asserted that general elections would be held
on schedule and denied that frequent rescheduling of parliament
sessions was an attempt on the part of his government to advance
polls.
Manmohan
Singh was addressing a press conference on flight while returning
from Beijing after the conclusion of the 7th Asia-Europe Meeting
(ASEM) summit.
“I
am not escaping parliament. We would like to meet in parliament
as often as possible. We (government) have not forced the
hands of the presiding officer. This is a decision taken after
full consultation with the main opposition party and all major
political parties,” said Manmohan Singh explaining the abrupt
adjournment of the parliament session that lasted barely a
week.
“Political
parties are in the (assembly) election mode and parliament
will reconvene in December.”
With
assembly elections in six states scheduled for November and
December, Manmohan Singh agreed that inflation and price rise
would be electoral issues and these were concerns facing his
government.
“We
have had a reasonably good term and I would not deny that
over the last few months inflation had become a problem. Also
recently because of the global factors, the financial crisis
is having some effect on our economy,” he said.
“Therefore,
we are obliged to take corrective measures. To say that I
am not worried would not be correct. It is my duty as prime
minister to worry when things don't go as planned,” he said.
"Reforms
can't take place in economic or political vacuum. The situation
has been such that.. oil prices shot up in a manner that if
I had passed on the whole burden to people, there would have
been reckless inflation.
"I
think we are in a typical Keynesian situation where there
is a lack of demand... The private sector demand is very weak
but (there is) strong government demand - both for social
services and investments," he said.
To
a question whether he would contest the Lok Sabha elections
due next year, Manmohan Singh refused to give a direct answer.
“We
will decide when the time comes,” he said.
In
the same breath he agreed that the upcoming assembly elections,
regarded as the semi-final before the “finals” next year,
would be the test of his government's popularity.
“All
elections are in one way or the other a test of popularity.
But that's part of the democratic process one has to go through,”
he replied stocially.
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