Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will meet top BJP leaders over dinner on Thursday in a bid to narrow down differences with principal opposition party over contentious issues including FDI in multi-brand retail during the winter session of Parliament.
Manmohan Singh has invited
BJP Parliamentary party chief LK Advani, Lok Sabha opposition leader Sushma Swaraj and Rajya Sabha opposition leader Arun Jaitley to the dinner.
The Prime Minister returned to the country on Tuesday night after a two-day visit to Cambodia for the Asean Summit.
The dinner meeting, rescheduled from last Saturday due to the death of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, will come in the wake of an all-party meet called by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar resulting in a logjam over the opposition's stringency on foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail.
While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Left parties want a debate on FDI in retail through a voting provision in parliament, ally-turned-foe Trinamool Congress plans a no confidence motion.
Sushma Swaraj said after the all-party meeting with the speaker on Wednesday that the lower house must debate and vote on the issue of foreign equity in multi-brand retail.
BJP sources said that party leaders were likely to reiterate their stance with the Prime Minister if there was a stalemate on the issue on Thursday.