At the end of his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New York today,Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee described Home Minister P Chidambaram as a valued colleague,and added that he would,on his return to India,speak with the home minister and the law minister on the relevance of the fresh correspondence between the finance ministry and the PMO on the 2G case. I will go through the papers when I reach New Delhi and find out what their legal implications are, Mukherjee said. Asked about the role of the opposition in fanning the controversy,he said,This is something we have to live with. He described the media as active partners in the controversy. Mukherjee arrived at the New York Palace hotel with a bouquet,since it is the Prime Ministers birthday on Monday. Asked about the urgency of the meeting,he replied,What comments can I make? Why should I discuss such issues in a foreign country? I am not leaving the country for all times to come. The minister clarified that he had not cut short his stay in Washington or cancelled any of his engagements as reported in the media. He had,in fact,completed all his scheduled meetings before leaving for New York. Mukherjee said that he had sought a meeting with the PM in New York because he had several pressing matters to discuss. This was especially because he is due to leave for West Bengal for week-long Puja celebrations the day after he reaches New Delhi,Mukherjee said. He briefed the PM on the progress at the three rounds of meetings he attended in Washington,he said of the Indo-US Business Committee,the CEOs Forum and the Investors Forum. Mukherjee said he also wanted to inform the PM that there was serious concern among investors in the US about the delay in the passage of crucial pieces of legislation such as FDI in retail and amendments to the Banking Act and Insurance Act. Investors feel that whatever can be done via executive action should be done as soon as possible and I wanted to consult the prime minister on how to take it forward. The finance minister said he had had useful interactions in the US on tackling the possibility of a double dip recession. Everyone is concerned about whether there will be a second global financial fall and whether the instruments with policymakers will be adequate to contain it, he said.
