Govt reaches consensus on privatisation: Shourie

The government has found common ground on its stalled privatisation drive after a crucial meeting of allies within the ruling coalition, Divestment Minister Arun Shourie said on Thursday.

"We have reached a unanimous view on divestment, which we have conveyed to the prime minister," Shourie told reporters after a meeting of top Cabinet ministers. He did not give any details of the meeting.

"Prime Minister (Atal Behari Vajpayee) has asked me to make a statement in Parliament."

Asked whether the government had resolved the stalled issue of stake sales in two cash-rich oil companies, Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd, Shourie said: "I will soon seek time from Parliament to announce the government's view." He did not elaborate.

In September the government had delayed for three months the privatisation of public sector oil companies Hindustan Petroleum Corporation and Bharat Petroleum Corporation, following a deep rift in the Cabinet over the aggressive pace of the sell-offs.