Apparently concerned over the issue of price rise, AICC President Sonia Gandhi has convened a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) in New Delhi on Thursday to take stock of the situation.
The meeting has been convened at a time when there has been growing unease in the party over the rising prices of essential commodities and a CWC member said the price rise is expected to dominate the deliberations.
The meeting being held on Thursday evening is taking place ahead of the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Vidarbha later this week in the wake of growing suicides by farmers in the region.
The Prime Minister is likely to announce a financial package for farmers in states like Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh which have witnessed increasing suicides by farmers.
The CWC meet comes over a month after Gandhi voicing her concern over rising prices at the meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party. She had then asked the government to do everything possible on the issue.
The issue of price rise has become a sensitive one for the Congress which proclaims itself to be the champion of 'aam aadmi' in the light of protests on the issue by Opposition BJP as also by outside supporters like the Left parties.
{{/usCountry}}The issue of price rise has become a sensitive one for the Congress which proclaims itself to be the champion of 'aam aadmi' in the light of protests on the issue by Opposition BJP as also by outside supporters like the Left parties.
{{/usCountry}}The issue of fuel price hike had also seen protests from the opposition. The Congress had then favoured a partial rollback, but when it did not materialise the party asked its state governments to lower duties to minimise the burden on the common man.
The last meeting of the CWC was held against the backdrop of a controversy over the OBC quota issue and had witnessed divergent views on the proposal.