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UPA meeting discusses Presidential reference issue
March 11, 2005 13:29 IST
A high-level United Progressive Alliance meeting chaired by chairperson Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on Friday is understood to have discussed the issue of the Centre making a Presidential reference to the Supreme Court on its order advancing the trust vote in the Jharkhand Assembly.
Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee had suggested after an all-party meeting on Thursday night that a Presidential reference may be made to seek the apex court's opinion so that constitutional balance can be restored. The SC had advanced the trust vote from March 15 to March 11.
A decision on the Presidential reference is likely to be announced this evening, sources said.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, held at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's residence, Congress leader Ambika Soni, however, said the 'general review of the political situation in the country came up for discussion' during the meeting
Soni said the UPA coalition will win the trust vote in the Jharkhand Assembly.
Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Law Minister H R Bharadwaj, Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Human Resources Development Minister Arjun Singh, Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel and P K Bansal attended the meeting.
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