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UPA formula: Meet often to gel

August 04, 2004 23:18 IST
By Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

The coordination committee of the United Progressive Alliance government on Wednesday decided to meet once a month or more, if necessary, to sort out prickly issues, according to Finance Minister P Chidambaram.

The committee, comprising the Congress, Left parties and UPA ministers, in its maiden meeting concentrated on evolving a mechanism whereby irritants could be ironed out, the finance minister said.

"There was abroad discussion of the common minimum programme and its implementation," Chidambaram said.

It was agreed that each meeting would be so structured that a few issues are taken up for discussion, he said.

The matters to be taken up would be identified and, depending on the issues, the concerned ministers would be invited to the meeting so that fruitful discussion could take place.

Later, Chidambaram said no specific issue was taken up for substantive discussion during the meeting.

Communist Party of India-Marxist politburo member Sitaram Yechury said the future meetings would be convened jointly by the leadership of the Congress and the Left parties.

Asked whether the Left was satisfied with the government's stand on important issues, Yechury said that what the finance minister told the reporters was the agreed opinion of the committee.

"So I am as much party to it to what he said and, therefore, there is no question of being dissatisfied. That is not the issue," he said.

"We have started a very good meeting and we should continue with it," Yechury added.

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

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