Minister for rural development and self help groups Vatti Vasanth Kumar on Thursday met Congress president Sonia Gandhi at 10 Janpath, in New Delhi to brief her on the political situation in the state.
According to sources, the minister informed Gandhi about the deaths caused due to the reportedly rough methods of microfinance institutions in the recovery of loans from members of self help groups.
Vasanth Kumar also briefed Gandhi over the
ordinance promulgated by the state government to regulate the MFIs, and the norms for their registration.
The minister revealed that the Congress president had expressed serious concern over the exorbitant interest rates charged by microfinance firms, that she had said she would look into the issue after discussing it with finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and RBI governor Dr. D Subba Rao.
Reacting to attempts by the opposition in the state to link her and AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi's names to the MFI issue, Vasanth Kumar stated that the Congress chief had expressed her strong displeasure over the matter.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP V Hanumantha Rao and Union minister of state for textiles Pannabaka Lakshmi also met Gandhi separately.
Sources say that Hanumantha Rao had briefed the Congress president of the dubious land dealings between APIIC and Emaar Properties. He is believed to have demanded that the party chief order a probe into the dealings.
Courtesy: INN