Sunday, October 21, 2012

UPA trying to win back DMK on FDI in retail issue


Chennai:
The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government is trying to convince its Tamil Nadu ally DMK on the issue of allowing foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail, according to Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) V Narayanswamy.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday to highlight the success of Union government schemes in the state and across the nation, the minister said that the allies are apprehensive about allowing FDI in retail but it is necessary to attract foreign direct investment.

He said the UPA would win the confidence of allies over the issue and ruled out mid-term elections. “We will be in power till 2014,” said the minister to a query on whether UPA has started its preparation for mid-term elections by highlighting its various schemes to people.

 Interestingly, this comes in the wake of DMK chief M Karunanidhi, stating that if the Opposition moved a resolution in Parliament against Foreign Direct Investment in multi-brand retail sector, the DMK would support it.

The minister said that FDI in retail would create two crore jobs besides ensuring better price for farmers.

The minister also hit out at Karnataka for not releasing the water despite the directive from the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. However, when a query was posed on his opinion on External Affairs Minister S M Krishna writing a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to stop the release of Cauvery water from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu, the minister ducked the issue by saying he is from Puducherry and can’t react to the query.

Narayanswami also said that Koodankulam plant will soon go critical after the inspection of Atomic Energy Regulatory Board which will give permission to close the reactor pressure vessel.

On whether Tamil Nadu will get the full power produced at Koodankulam nuclear plant, the minister said that he and other MPs from Tamil Nadu have urged the prime minister to allocate more power to Tamil Nadu. On the protest in Koodankulam, he blamed some NGOs for instigating it.

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