All-party meet: PM Modi asks opposition to peacefully discuss all issues

NEW DELHI: In the midst of a heated political debate over scrapping of 500 and 1,000 rupee notes , PM Narendra Modi has suggested state funding of polls , along with simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections , to improve transparency in public life and combat corruption.The PM told an all-party meeting on Tuesday that he hoped a discussion in Parliament on demonetisation would send out a "positive message" that the political class was capable of acting for the good of the people rather than conveying a negative message.The PM's comments found the support of Trinamool Congress's Sudip Bandopadhyay, who said he had raised the same point just ahead of Modi joining the all-party deliberations. The PM said he hoped the issue would be fully debated.The PM's move to bring up state funding at a time when the decision to scrap old currency is being bitterly debated is seen as a step to push the transparency agenda, as elections and political parties are closely associated with black money Though not a new idea, Modi's pitch that state funding, along with simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections, will curb poll expenditure and make the process cleaner seems a bid to link demonetisation with wider political reforms.Collection of unaccounted money by leaders and parties has often been cited as the root of political corruption as it leads to post-election favours being granted to poll financiers. State funding has been touted as a possible antidote.