As the suspense continued over the presence of 'foreign' representatives in the consultative committees of the Planning Commission, its Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has said the issue would be discussed when he gets back to Delhi early next week.
Asked if some decision has been taken on the issue or whether he would talk to these foreign consultants, Ahluwalia told reporters on Thursday: "All this we are going to discuss when we get back. On that one, I have no comments to make."
There were indications earlier this week that experts from the World Bank, McKinsey and ADB have offered to quit amid a boycott of the consultative group on industry by Left economists on the panel.
World Bank and McKinsey spokespersons have declined to comment on the issue.
C P Chandrasekhar and Jayati Ghosh, wife of Planning Commission member Abhijit Sen, are members of the group on industry who had earlier boycotted a meeting of the group. Chandrasekhar has threatened to quit the panel to protest the presence of foreign experts.
Ahluwalia, who is accompanying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, had told reporters on way to London earlier this week that the foreign experts would continue in the consultative committees, triggering vehement protest from the Left allies.
Ahluwalia had said: "We will continue representatives from the World Bank and other multilateral agencies on the consultative committees, till instructed otherwise."