So far silent, will Sonia roll back FDI in retail?

The one thing that has become increasingly clear in this whole FDI logjam is that while the Prime Minister has thrown his weight behind the issue, Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi has maintained a conspicuous silence. This was possibly most apparent in the Youth Congress meeting on Tuesday. While Manmohan Singh very clearly said that rolling back FDI was not an option for his government, Sonia Gandhi who was making her first public speech following her illness, did not mention the issue at all. Instead she chose to concentrate on the issue of corruption, and the pro-poor policies that the UPA had introduced during its tenure.

A Congress meet to discuss FDI and the Parliamentary logjam is now underway in Parliament, and it will be interesting to know what stand the party will take. There are already reports that there are a number of elements even within the party who are uncomfortable with the move. Will Sonia now insist on a rollback? This may be one way of ensuring that the government does not lose face in rolling back FDI.