Finally, Cong veering Left

Orissa Congress gets assurance over Nalco; CWC to discuss price rise today.

Already under fire from the Left allies on the issues of disinvestment and price rise, the UPA regime could find itself in a tight spot with the Congress also showing eagerness to sing the Left tune.

Orissa unit of the Congress, which is opposing the government's decision to divest 10 per cent stake in Nalco, has got encouraging signals from party President Sonia Gandhi who told a party delegation today that she would take it up with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The delegation, led by AICC general secretary V Narayansami, sought her intervention to rescind the government's decision.

"Madam (Sonia Gandhi) was quite positive. We had about 20-minute long discussion with her this afternoon. She told us that she would discuss it (Nalco disinvestment) with the prime minister. She respects the sentiments of the people in Orissa who are opposed to disinvestment," said Orissa state Congress president Jayadev Jena who was part of the 11-member delegation.

Jena had led a delegation to meet the PM last Monday on the same issue but had got no assurance from him. Sonia's assurance today is set to embolden the state unit, which has joined the Opposition BJP and the BJD and the Left parties to oppose Nalco disinvestment.

The state Congress leaders argue that the party had opposed the initiatives of the then NDA regime to privatise Nalco and therefore, it cannot support the latest decision by the UPA regime.

Congress High Command's said intention to intervene on the controversial issue of disinvestment came barely 24 hours after the prime minister had called the bluff of the Left allies on the question of their support to the UPA government and had made it clear to CPI national secretary D Raja that the government would go ahead with disinvestmenmt in other PSUs as well.

As for price rise, the High Command's decision to convene a meeting of the Congress Working Committee on Thursday evening to discuss it came as a surprise to many within the party.

As the UPA regime has already announced a slew of measures to check price rise, the well-publicised CWC meeting on it raises many questions about the party's views on the government's initiatives.

The party apparently wants to send some signals to the 'aam admi', but it could also put question marks on the government's initiatves, said party sources. It could only lend credence to Left allegations that the government has not done enough, they said.

Only about a month back, the Congress president had discussed the issue of price rise at the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting and urged the government to take appropriate measures to check it.

"The prime minister has come out with some steps. But, the party is concerned about it and therefore, this CWC meeting has been convened," Congress spokesman Rajiv Shukla said today.

He had said in the press briefing on Monday that increase in the prices of diesel and petrol was 'one of the reasons' for the general price rise, although it was mostly due to middlemen.

Although price rise is the only issue on the agenda of the CWC meeting, the issue of farmers' suicide is also likely to come up for discussion as the meeting comes ahead of the prime minister 's visit to Vidarbha. Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar will accompany the prime minister.

Meanwhile, the CPI(M) today expressed 'serious reservation and apprehension' about the draft US-India Nuclear Cooperation Promotion Bill, 2006 that was presented before the US House International Relations Committee.

Citing media reports about the draft bill, CPI(M) Politburo member Sitaram Yechury said that it is clear that the US is trying to exert pressure on India to change the country's foreign policy.