Thaindian News

New Delhi, Feb 4 (IANS) The Congress Working Committee (CWC) will meet here Friday amid concern in the party over price rice and efforts by the opposition to pin the government on the issue.
The meeting will be held a day ahead of the conference of chief ministers convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on rising prices.

Congress sources said no agenda has been circulated for the meeting of CWC, the highest decision making body of the party, but it is expected to chart out the party’s response to efforts by chief ministers of opposition-ruled states to put the blame for price rise entirely at the door of the central government.

Chief ministers of opposition-ruled Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar apart from Uttar Pradesh have been vocal in blaming the Congress-led UPA government for failing to check price rise.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee are expected to apprise the CWC members of the steps taken by the government to check escalating cost of essential commodities and their assessment of the food price situation in the coming months.

A section of the Congress had sought to target Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar for the spiralling prices, but the minister had hit back, saying the decisions on price policy had been taken by the union cabinet.

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Left have chalked out plans to target the Congress over price rise in the forthcoming budget session of parliament which begins Feb 22.

Congress sources said the meeting is also expected to discuss the problems faced by the party in Andhra Pradesh where its state unit is split on regional lines over formation of a separate Telangana state.

Results of the membership drive in various states and the party’s organisational elections are also slated to come up for discussion. Party president Sonia Gandhi is expected to be re-elected party chief in July.

Sources said the party’s preparations for the Bihar assembly elections due later this year and response towards assertion of identity politics in Maharashtra are also expected to come up for discussion.