New Delhi: Ever since the Union government announced a special Parliament session later this month, there has been speculation in some quarters that next year’s Lok Sabha elections may be brought forward.
However, Union minister Anurag Thakur asserted on Sunday the government has no plans to call early general elections or delay it, and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will serve the Indian people till the last day of his term.
Dismissing ‘media conjecture’, Thakur also ruled out possibility of conducting the forthcoming state Assembly elections simultaneously with Lok Sabha elections during an interview with India Today.
Thakur hinted that the government has big plans for the special session of Parliament, scheduled from September 18.
“The agenda of the special session will be revealed at the appropriate time by the Parliamentary Affairs minister,” Thakur said.
A political storm is raging over the government’s ‘One Nation, One Election’ plan and the high-level committee set up to study it.
“The government has set up a committee on One Nation, One Election.. the committee will carry out extensive deliberations with stakeholders before norms are finalised for One Nation, One Election,” Thakur said.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who was named on the committee, declined to be part of it saying it was a ‘total eyewash.’
The minister said the government would still like Chowdhury to be a part of the One Nation, One Election committee.
“Including the voice of the opposition shows the large-heartedness of the Modi government,” Thakur felt.
