Friday, July 1 2005 11:08 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi will meet leaders of the Left parties today (July 1, 2005) in a bid to resolve differences between the two sides over the disinvestment issue.

The meeting with the Left parties, which decided to boycott the UPA-Left Coordination Committee sittings over the divestment issue, is likely to address Left opposition to dilution of 10 per cent Government stake in blue-chip Public Sector Units (PSU) Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL).

The Left leaders are unhappy over the manner in which the UPA Government is going ahead with disinvestment of profit making public sector companies or inviting foreign direct investment.

Sonia, who was on a sojourn to Shimla, had earlier told Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) general secretary Prakash Karat that she would meet the Left leaders on her return to Delhi.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and top Congress leaders, including Sonia and Union Ministers P Chidambaram, Arjun Singh, Shivraj Patil and Ghulam Nabi Azad, met yesterday (Jun 30, 2005) do discuss the issue.