Ajit Singh meets Sonia Gandhi, rules out discussion on Jet-Etihad deal row

Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh met Congress President Sonia Gandhi here on Thursday amid concerns over the Jet-Etihad deal.

Ajit Singh, however, after the meeting said that there was no discussion on the Jet-Etihad deal.

"I had gone to invite her to lay the foundation stone of a Civil Aviation University that we are making in Rae Bareli," he told the media outside Gandhi's official 10, Janpath residence here.

The Prime Minister Office (PMO) had on Tuesday dismissed media reports about the disagreement within the government or between the Ministers and Prime Minister over the India-UAE bilateral air services agreement on the Jet Airways-Etihad deal.

"There have been media reports over the last few days on the India- UAE (Abu Dhabi) Bilateral Air Services Agreement and on the Jet Airways-Etihad equity stake proposal. Some of these reports have inferred that PMO is playing a role in the Jet Airways-Etihad proposal. The allegations in some media are factually incorrect and baseless," said a statement issued by the PMO.

There is absolutely no disagreement within the government or between the Ministers and Prime Minister on the matter. The Prime Minister is neither washing his hands off the Bilateral Air Services Agreement nor is the Prime Minister's Office trying to do a U-turn on the issue now," it added.

The PMO said that there is an inter-governmental agreement on seat entitlements and concerns the governments of the two countries.

The PMO also said that Jet-Etihad equity issue is under examination and there is no question of disowning it as it is not an agreement with the government.

The deal, which is the largest foreign investment proposal in the aviation sector, is facing regulatory hurdles with various ministries raising major concerns over the ultimate control of Jet Airways post transaction.