'FM has no conflict of interest in NALCO move'

New Delhi, Jun 23: Giving a clean chit to Finance Minister P Chidambaram on the decision to offload 10 per cent of its stake in NALCO, the Congress today said any differences between the government and the Communist parties would be sorted out at the UPA-Left Coordination Committee meeting.

''Somebody was on the Board of Directors in the past is not a reason enough to call it a conflict of interest,'' Congress spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan told reporters while replying to questions relating to a Left trade union's allegation that the move on the NALCO stake sale was influenced by Finance Minister P Chidambaram's old links with a rival company -- Vedanta group BALCO.

Asked whether there would be a rollback of the decision to sell government shares in NALCO and Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC), she said she could not speak for the government.

Replying to a question on the Congress stand on disinvestment, she said this was clearly mentioned in the National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP) and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had repeatedly stated that profit-making PSUs and Navratna companies would not be privatised.

Asked whether the party had any differences with Mr Chidambaram over the Finance Ministry's move to change the personal income tax return form, particularly SARAL, she said the party had a right to voice its concerns from time to time on various issues.

But it was for the government to take a considered view on these, she said.

UNI

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