Manmohan fire fights

NEW DELHI: After the Left’s sniper fire on the disinvestment process, Congress was forced to step forward to reassure the worried investor. “Investors can rest assured that the new government will pursue policies to create favourable climate for growth,� Manmohan Singh said.
However, Singh refrained from commenting on the merit of the Left’s demand. The consideration appeared simple.
At a time when the Leftists are engaged in mobilising support for Ms Sonia Gandhi’s prime ministership, a feud with friends is not on.

A strategy session convened at Manmohan Singh’s residence this evening to take stock of the developments in the market abandoned earlier plans to clarify the party’s position on the issue.
But the Left has made it clear that it will not rollback its opposition to disinvestment of profit-making units.
Leaders of the CPM and the CPI today insisted that the new government at the Centre should divest its stake only in loss-making units. While
CPM general secretary H S Surjeet asked the proposed new government to scrap the disinvestment ministry, his counterpart in the CPI A B Bardhan said the policy itself should be abandoned. “Government and not market fluctuations will decide policies,� Mr Bardhan said.
The line-up against disinvestment by evening got strengthened after RJD chief Laloo
Yadav joined the chorus. Together, they account for a significant 80 MPs and the proposed government cannot afford to ignore their voices.