Sonia's letter to PM a 'middle path': Cong

The Congress Party on Wednesday said Sonia Gandhi's letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on foreign direct investment in retail should be seen as a 'middle path' on the issue providing for safeguards, as the party is not in favour of "extreme positions".

"It (the letter) should not be seen as two extremes -- of banning FDI or allowing FDI without any safeguards," party spokesman Abishek Singhvi told reporters at the daily media briefing at the party headquarters.

Replying to questions on the reported letter Gandhi had written to Singh advising caution on FDI in the retail sector in the context of Bharti-Wal-Mart joint venture, he said the Congress was keen on protecting the interest of the common man and it was for a middle path with regulatory mechanisms.