On Board Air India One:
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday acknowledged that he cannot "rule out the possibility" of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav pulling the rug from under the Congress-led UPA at the Centre, but also said that he is confident his government will complete its full term.
"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.
The next general elections are due in mid-2014 but with the UPA losing two important allies in the Trinamool Congress and the DMK in less than a year, there is much speculation that polls might be held earlier.
Mulayam Singh Yadav, on whose external support the government now relies heavily, has on quite a few occasions asked his party to prep for early elections. Over the last week, Mr Yadav has also made several statements that indicate he is rethinking the support he provides the UPA with.
Dr Singh on Thursday also admitted that his government did not have the numbers to push key legislations in Parliament but promised that he would not allow the reforms begun by his government to derail.
"We certainly have to take into account the fact that we don't have the majority to get 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," the PM said, adding, "But even then, we are confident the reforms that matter, and which are going to yield results in the next few months, we will be able to push them."
"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.
The next general elections are due in mid-2014 but with the UPA losing two important allies in the Trinamool Congress and the DMK in less than a year, there is much speculation that polls might be held earlier.
Mulayam Singh Yadav, on whose external support the government now relies heavily, has on quite a few occasions asked his party to prep for early elections. Over the last week, Mr Yadav has also made several statements that indicate he is rethinking the support he provides the UPA with.
Dr Singh on Thursday also admitted that his government did not have the numbers to push key legislations in Parliament but promised that he would not allow the reforms begun by his government to derail.
"We certainly have to take into account the fact that we don't have the majority to get 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," the PM said, adding, "But even then, we are confident the reforms that matter, and which are going to yield results in the next few months, we will be able to push them."
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