Pawar, Lalu dismiss mid-term poll talk, say govt will not fall

PATNA: Two senior Union Ministers on Thursday dismissed the talk of mid-term poll in the country asserting that the Manmohan Singh government was not going to fall over differences between the ruling UPA and the Left, its outside supporter, on the Indo-US nuclear deal.

Agriculture Minister and NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and Railways Minister and RJD leader Lalu Prasad at separate news conferences in Patna said they did not foresee any snap polls. Next General elections are due only in May 2009.

"I don't see any chance of a snap poll," Pawar said while Prasad declared there was not even a 'remote chance' of such a prospect. Both RJD and NCP are key constituents of the Congress-led alliance.

"Problems do exist between the UPA and Marxists on some provisions of the nuclear deal. They (Left) have voiced some concerns, which we, as the ruling coalition, are obliged to address, but the government will not fall over the issue," Pawar said.

Asked what could be the reason behind some UPA leaders, asking their workers to gear up for a mid-term elections when he did not foresee it, the NCP chief said 'being in politics we should always be prepared for elections. Moreover, chances of snap polls are more when a coalition government is in power. But I don't see that happening now.'

Pawar said the UPA-Left committee constituted to iron out the differences had already held four rounds of 'good discussions and we hope both sides would amicably and with full responsibility settle the issue in our future meetings'.

"No single party wants a snap poll as it is not in the interest of the nation. Let me tell you there is not even a remote chance of a mid-term election and all concerns voiced by the left would be addressed in an amicable and cordial atmosphere," said Prasad, one of the members in the UPA-left committee on the nuke deal.