Despite hiccups,UPA is very much intact: Pranab

The veteran Congress leader said even though there were hiccups in seat sharing talks between Congress and its alliance partners like Samajwadi Party and RJD in UP and Bihar respectively,the alliance was still in place.

“During their press conference held recently in Lucknow,SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav,RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan,have reiterated their support to UPA.

Therefore it is not disintegrating,” Mukherjee said.

He added that at the same time,Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress,Biju Janata Dal and Telugu Desam Party,all these have left the NDA,which is breaking.

“Sonia Gandhi as chairperson of UPA is coordinating at her level while I as floor leader in Lok Sabha,am trying to coordinate with other floor leaders in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha,to strengthen the UPA,” Mukherjee said.

“Development of rural infrastructure through Bharat Nirman has been achieved successfully… there is a difference between performance and commitment,Mukherjee said.

Referring to BJP’s 2004 ‘India Shining’ election campaign,he said that “though we are not using terms like ‘India Shining’,we have been successful”.