New Delhi:
She skipped the first meeting, but Mamata Banerjee is in Delhi today and will be present when the newly-formed UPA coordination committee meets this evening. The committee, which is headed by Sonia Gandhi, is expected to discuss several issues over which Ms Banerjee has frequently clashed with the government she partners - like Foreign Direct Investment in various sectors, fuel prices and oil and fertilizer subsidies.
The UPA committee, set up earlier this month to project a united picture in the run-up to the 2014 general elections, is also expected to discuss the Telangana statehood issue. Ms Banerjee was the only partner not to attend or even send a representative to the first meeting held on August 8.
Foreign Direct Investment or FDI in multi-brand retail is expected to be on top of the agenda today. Late last year, the Congress-led government had to reluctantly put a proposal to allow FDI in multi brand retail in cold storage after Ms Banerjee brought her ties with the UPA to the brink over the issue. Ms Banerjee contributes 19 crucial MPs to the UPA's tenuous total in the Lok Sabha and often flexes that muscle to get her way on important policy matters. The UPA's reputation of being afflicted with "policy paralysis" has come with such retraction on reforms.
On Saturday, Defence Minister AK Antony held an hour-long meeting with the West Bengal Chief Minister in Kolkata to try and seek her support.
Apart from Ms Banerjee, parties like Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party too have opposed the move. Mr Yadav, along with the Left parties and the Janata Dal(S) had shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last month asking the government not to open up retail trade to FDI any further. Right now FDI in single brand retail is allowed.
The UPA coordination committee was announced last month to ensure proper functioning of the alliance, a demand that was made most recently by ally NCP during a stand-off with the Congress in July. Senior NCP leaders and Union Ministers Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel had threatened to quit then and had demanded that the Congress start taking along its allies on key decision-making.
Leaders of all UPA allies are part of this committee. Both Mr Pawar and his deputy Mr Patel represent the NCP on the panel. Mrs Gandhi heads the committee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Defence Minister AK Antony, Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde are the other members from the Congress.
This is the first time in eight years of the UPA government that a coordination committee of alliance partners has been formed. During UPA-I, there was only a coordination committee between the Congress and Left parties.
(With inputs from PTI)
The UPA committee, set up earlier this month to project a united picture in the run-up to the 2014 general elections, is also expected to discuss the Telangana statehood issue. Ms Banerjee was the only partner not to attend or even send a representative to the first meeting held on August 8.
Foreign Direct Investment or FDI in multi-brand retail is expected to be on top of the agenda today. Late last year, the Congress-led government had to reluctantly put a proposal to allow FDI in multi brand retail in cold storage after Ms Banerjee brought her ties with the UPA to the brink over the issue. Ms Banerjee contributes 19 crucial MPs to the UPA's tenuous total in the Lok Sabha and often flexes that muscle to get her way on important policy matters. The UPA's reputation of being afflicted with "policy paralysis" has come with such retraction on reforms.
On Saturday, Defence Minister AK Antony held an hour-long meeting with the West Bengal Chief Minister in Kolkata to try and seek her support.
Apart from Ms Banerjee, parties like Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party too have opposed the move. Mr Yadav, along with the Left parties and the Janata Dal(S) had shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last month asking the government not to open up retail trade to FDI any further. Right now FDI in single brand retail is allowed.
The UPA coordination committee was announced last month to ensure proper functioning of the alliance, a demand that was made most recently by ally NCP during a stand-off with the Congress in July. Senior NCP leaders and Union Ministers Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel had threatened to quit then and had demanded that the Congress start taking along its allies on key decision-making.
Leaders of all UPA allies are part of this committee. Both Mr Pawar and his deputy Mr Patel represent the NCP on the panel. Mrs Gandhi heads the committee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Defence Minister AK Antony, Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde are the other members from the Congress.
This is the first time in eight years of the UPA government that a coordination committee of alliance partners has been formed. During UPA-I, there was only a coordination committee between the Congress and Left parties.
(With inputs from PTI)
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