Date:15/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/15/stories/2008121558921200.htm

National

Pranab: polls as scheduled

Murshidabad (West Bengal): External Affairs Minister and senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday ruled out early Lok Sabha elections and said they would be held on schedule.

Asked whether the United Progressive Alliance would opt for early polls in view of the impressive show by the Congress in the just-concluded assembly polls, he told journalists here that they would be held on time.

On Pakistan’s claim that Indian fighter jets had violated its airspace in Lahore and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Mr. Mukherjee said he would look into it after his return to Delhi. The Indian Air Force has denied any such violation. — PTI