Tuesday, June 28 2005 16:15 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Fearing a further backlash after Left Parties decided to suspend attending UPA (United Progressive Alliance) meetings over BHEL disinvestment, the Government avoided any discussion on the issue at the National Development Council.

"The BHEL (issue) was not discussed (at the NDC)," Finance Minister P Chidambaram told reporters after making his presentation to the council.

Seeking to dispel apprehensions over divestment of profit making and navaratna PSUs, he said Government was committed to National Common Minimum Programme and divesting chronically sick and patently unviable PSUs.

Left Parties - CPM (Communist Party of India-Marxist), CPI (Communist Party of India), Forward Block and RSP (Rashtriya Samajwadi Party)-- had on Sunday (Jun 19, 2005) announced their decision to suspend meetings at the UPA Coordination Committee over the BHEL issue.

Sensing trouble, both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi had got in touch with CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat.