By IANS
Patna : Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Thursday ruled out any possibility of early general elections, saying there was no threat to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) central government despite differences with the Left allies.
“There is no threat to the UPA government. It is running smoothly despite differences on some issues with Left parties. So, there is no chance of a mid-term poll,” Lalu Prasad, who is also chief of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, said here at a function to mark the birth anniversary of socialist Jayaprakash Narayan.
Lalu Prasad also said that no political party was in favour of early polls. “The UPA government is trying to address the concerns voiced by Left parties in an amicable and cordial manner,” he said.
The minister, who is a member of the UPA-Left committee on the India-US nuclear deal, defended the Congress and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the deal.
“The deal is needed for civilian purposes to generate energy. There is no question of surrendering India’s sovereignty to America,” he said, reacting to criticism that the deal would mean India’s foreign policy would be subservient to that of the US.