Action to create equality of opportunity for the next generation should be the highest priority of the government, said Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

"A lot of what we hear of distress in rural areas is put forward as the result of economic liberalisation," he said at the inaugural session of a seminar on "Development and Nationhood: An Indian Perspective", organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

Delivering the keynote address, Meghnad Desai, Professor Emeritus, London School of Economics, mooted the idea of a Congress-BJP polity, with very few regional demands, which could focus on bringing about 8-10 per cent growth for a 10-year period.

Since subsidies and deficits could not be removed in a coalition structure, a change in the nature of coalition ruling the country was required to hasten the pace of growth, he said.