INDIA: BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES RECOMMENDED THAT THE LOWER HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT BE DISSOLVED

Record ID: 1376206

  • Title: INDIA: BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES RECOMMENDED THAT THE LOWER HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT BE DISSOLVED
  • Date: 3rd December 1997
  • Summary: NEW DELHI, INDIA (DECEMBER 3, 1997) (ANI) MV HOME MINISTER INDRAJIT GUPTA ARRIVING MV LAW MINISTER RAMAKANT KHALAP ARRIVING SCU DEFENCE MINISTER MULAYAM SINGH ARRIVING SCU DMK INDUSTRY MINISTER MURASOLI MARAN ARRIVING SCU FINANCE MINISTER P. CHIDAMBARAM ARRIVING SCU CAMERA CREWS SCU INDRAJIT GUPTA LEAVES PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE AND SAYING "WE HAVE DECIDED TO RECOMME
  • Embargoed: 4th March 2015 20:39
  • Keywords:
  • Location: NEW DELHI, INDIA
  • Country: India
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAEV8LF7T5RBDVEWPQ1BS1P8L0P
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: INTRO: Both India's United Front government and the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have recommended to President K.R. Narayanan that the lower house of Parliament be dissolved. This makes it almost certain that general elections will be held by spring of 1998.

    India's cabinet decided on Wednesday (December 3) to recommend that President K.R.Narayanan dissolve parliament, opening the way for a general election This announcement was made to reporters by Home Minister Indrajit Gupta.

    Speaking after a meeting of the Council of Ministers, Gupta said: "We have decided to recommend to the President that the Lok Sabha should be dissolved".

    Another senior minister said elections were likely to be held at the end of February or early March.

    The crisis was triggered last week after the Congress party withdrew its support for the minority coalition government, the United Front.

    That left both Congress and the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) scrambling for allies to cobble together a government. However, efforts by Congress to poach parties from the United Front and by the BJP to woo disenchanted lawmakers from Congress failed.

    The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had hoped to poach disenchanted members of the Congress party to form its own majority, said it was prepared for a poll.

    Its president Lal Krishna Advani said that elections were the best thing to solve the country's political crisis.

    Speaking after a meeting with the President, Advani told reporters that a mid-term election was a "better opportunity for realignment of political forces" than trying to form a new government from the current hung parliament.

    "We have told the President we feel the best option is to go to the people and take the opinion of the people. The President also wants an early decision. We have told the President to take an early decision because this uncertainty is proving costly for the country", Advani said.

    The political uncertainty has fuelled attacks on the rupee, which recovered on Wednesday after the central bank announced emergency measures to beat back speculators.

    "Uncertain politics takes a toll and the Indian economy cannot be an exception", Finance Minister P.Chidambaram told reporters soon after the cabinet meeting.

    However, he said the measures taken by the RBI would check the further fall of the Indian currency.
  • Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
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