PM fixes Sunday BHEL date with Left leaders

Sources said since the disagreement over the government’s decision to offload a 10 per cent stake in the heavy-engineering Navratna PSU also stemmed from the differing interpretation of the Common Minimum Programme, the document was pulled out and read over and over again during the impromptu discussion yesterday.

The PM raised the matter immediately after he briefed the Left on the Ayodhya attack and the security alert sent to state governments. Trying to gauge the Left’s mood and meet them half-way, Singh reportedly softened the government’s earlier stand that ‘‘disinvestment must not be equated with the privatisation’’.

Sources said he went to the extent of accepting it would be incorrect to say the government can retain control in the Navratna PSUs even if its stake was reduced to 49 per cent.

CPI general secretary A B Bardhan insisted that Sunday’s meeting cannot be termed as part of the UPA-Left ‘‘coordination meeting’’ which the Left is boycotting. ‘‘The ball is in their (the government’s) court, they have to come up with an alternative plan. We are not giving any suggestion,’’ Bardhan said.

But sources say the Left is not too keen to resolve the problem given the new political situation following the Ayodhya attack and Singh’s upcoming US trip.

A likely way out would be to involve BHEL stake-holders in the agreement. Another option is to make the divestment a one-off case where the government gives a commitment that other Navratna PSUs would not be put up for divestment similarly.