The Hindu : Sonia meets Dilip Ray

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 14, 2004

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National

Sonia meets Dilip Ray

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JAN.13 . In continuance of her efforts to forge an alliance to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led front, the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, today had a meeting with the rebel Biju Janata Dal MP, Dilip Ray, party sources said.

Mr. Ray, who has fallen out with the BJD chief, Naveen Patnaik, has been actively associated with persons within the party who were opposed to the Orissa Chief Minister. Last year, the dissidence took a serious turn when the parliamentary wing virtually split with a group electing a new leader in place of the Union Water Resources Minister, Arjun Charan Sethi.

The sources said today's meeting also marked a departure from the past, with the party chief taking direct charge of striking alliances/ adjustments. She has initiated talks with the Left parties, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Bahujan Samaj Party president, Mayawati. She is also likely to meet the Nationalist Congress Party president, Sharad Pawar, on Thursday.

There were indications that the Congress president would also speak to the Rashtriya Kranti Party chief, Kalyan Singh. The Congress has kept its doors open for a possible adjustment with the RKP.

Ms. Gandhi has called a meeting of pradesh Congress chiefs and Congress legislature party chiefs on Friday. This would be another step in the series of meetings she has had over the last two weeks.

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