UPA: abandoned by DMK, threatened by Mulayam

An assertive Prime Minister upon his return from Durban not only rejected any suggestions of general elections earlier than those scheduled March 2014, but also, under fire over a sluggish pace of economic recovery and a reform process often held hostage to coalition politics, said the government - now minus the DMK - would have to take into account a lack of a majority in Parliament to push through some proposals and focus on those which enjoy a broad consensus.