The centre is looking to sell a majority stake in debt-ridden state-run carrier Air India
Highlights
- Amit Shah, Piyush Goyal and Suresh Prabhu likely to attend today's meet
- CNG price in Delhi was hiked by Rs. 1.36 per kg a day before the meeting
- RSS economic group will give feedback on government's economic policies
The disinvestment of the debt-ridden state-run carrier Air India and runaway fuel price rise are likely to be discussed in the coordination meeting between the RSS, the BJP and the centre on Tuesday.
BJP president Amit Shah, finance and railway minister Piyush Goyal and civil aviation minister Suresh Prabhu are among top BJP leaders who are likely to attend the meeting, which will seek to iron out pinprick issues. The meeting will be chaired by RSS joint general secretary Krishan Gopal.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS is the ideological mentor of the BJP.
A day before the scheduled coordination meeting, the price of compressed natural gas or CNG in the national capital was hiked by Rs 1.36 per kg as input raw material got costlier because of rupee depreciation and rise in natural gas price. CNG will cost Rs 41.97 per kg in Delhi now.
Petrol and diesel prices also
continued their upward movement on Monday. While petrol prices were hiked by 15 paise per litre in Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai, diesel prices were raised by 11-12 paise per litre. Monday's increase in fuel prices marked the 15th straight day of hike, which followed a 19-day hiatus ahead of the Karnataka assembly election earlier this month.
Petrol prices were hiked by 15 paise per litre in Delhi on Monday
The RSS economic group comprising Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh, Bhartiya Kisan Sangh, Laghu Udyog Bharti and Swadeshi Jagran Manch, will also present their reports and feedback on the economic policies of the government.
The
Air India disinvestment issue and fuel price hike will definitely come up at the meeting on Tuesday, people familiar with the matter said.
In April, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had said Air India
should be owned by an Indian player who can run it efficiently, and had cautioned the government against "losing control and ownership of its skies".
The Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh and Swadeshi Jagran Manch have also opposed Air India's disinvestment in its current form. The Manch has said Air India is getting operating profits but is running into losses due to high debt. It has suggested that the centre should monetise the assets of the state-run carrier to repay its debt.
The centre is looking for buyers to sell 76 per cent state in Air India. It has plonked over Rs 23,000 crore into Air India since 2012 to keep the debt-ridden airline from dropping out of the skies.