2014 elections may not throw up government with solid majority: P Chidambaram

Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday said he does not think India will get a government with "solid majority" post 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

"But if does, then it would be a turning point to get over weaknesses," he said during a panel discussion at an event to mark the 20th anniversary of NSE. "I think let's wait for the elections. I am not sure that the elections will throw up a government with a solid majority in Parliament," he said The general elections are due to be completed by May next year.

The Congress, which leads the UPA government at the Centre, faced defeat in the just concluded elections in four states -- Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Delhi.

Chidambaram further said that India is a democracy that is going through a phase of churning. In the last 60-odd years, he opined this is the "weakest point" in India's democracy".

"The executive has been hindered or hampered by over reach of our institutions, Parliament is nearly totally paralysed and there is a mistaken, romantic view that there is a judicial solutions to our problems. "I think in terms of the three branches of the government coming together, which a necessary precondition, we are in one of the weakest points in India's history. We have to overcome this," the Finance Minister said.

He further said Parliament's business is to make laws and the judiciary should acknowledge that. "Parliament's business is to make laws and the judiciary must acknowledge that. There are no judicial standards by which judges can judge and decide upon the issues. Judges can only decide on matters where there are judicial standards,"the Minister added.

Even as he expressed concern over key bills getting stuck in Parliament, Chidambaram, without naming, also blamed various institutions for hampering executive's functions.

During the panel discussion, global business magazine Economist's former Editor-in-Chief Bill Emmott said that there were concerns globally over India's slow pace of reforms, policy limitations and efficacy of the government.

To this, Chidambaram said "a seemingly weak government does not mean we cannot have a strong finance ministry in the government", drawing laughter from the audience.