2G controversy: Pranab rushing to New York to meet PM

Pranab Mukherjee is cutting short his visit and rushing to New York to meet PM.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is cutting short his visit here and rushing to New York to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,amid a storm back home over his ministry’s note to the PMO on the 2G scam.

Sources told PTI that Mukherjee,who is in Washington to attend the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank,is heading to New York to meet the Prime Minister for “obvious” reasons.

The opposition is gunning for Home Minister P Chidambaram after a Finance Ministry note,that said 2G spectrum could have been auctioned if the then Finance Minister had insisted,surfaced.

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The unexpected development takes place a day after the Prime Minister said he fully backed Chidambaram who “continues to enjoy and inspire my full confidence”.

Asked whether there was any rift between his two top ministers,Singh said there was no infighting. The Prime Minister also spoke to Chidambaram on the issue from Frankfurt.

Mukherjee had also yesterday spoken to the Home Minister.

Singh is in New York to attend the 66th session of the UN General Assembly and is scheduled to address the world body tomorrow.

The meeting between Singh and Mukherjee is expected to take place after the Prime Minister’s address to the General Assembly.

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Sources would not divulge the specific reasons for the step,but would say it is “obvious” why he is travelling to New York to meet the Prime Minister.

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