A badly-timed, suspect policy

Sushma Swaraj was at her scathing best while taunting the Prime Minister for expecting the Opposition to stand by him on an issue over which the Cabinet, the UPA and even the Congress are clearly divided.The Government may yet ‘suspend’ its decision to allow 51 per cent foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail “until and unless consensus is evolved”, as disclosed by West Bengal’s mercurial Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after she met Union Minister for Finance Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday to discuss the contentious issue against which her party, the Trinamool Congress, a key ally of the Congress, has taken an inflexible stand, but that will at best serve to pour oil over troubled waters; it won’t necessarily allay fears or put apprehensions to rest.

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