NCP puts off pullout decision by a day, Agatha quits Cabinet

While the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) today deferred a decision to pull out of the UPA government by a day, the party said it will stay away from all government functions till the issues between it and the Congress are resolved.

NCP leader from Meghalaya and Union Minister of State Agatha Sangma, however, has sent her resignation from the Union Council of Ministers to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, sending a copy to party chief Sharad Pawar.

NCP sources said Agatha's resignation would be accepted notwithstanding the outcome of its standoff with the Congress. Agatha had earned the party's wrath for canvassing for her father P A Sangma in his failed presidential bid as the NDA nominee. She was not available for comment.

The continuation of Pawar and Union Minister Praful Patel in the government, from which they had offered to resign in separate communications to Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi last week, however, hinges on the Congress's response to their demands. The Congress is learnt to be "agreeable" to the setting up of a coordination mechanism both at the Centre and in the state.

The NCP Working Committee meeting here today, sources said,was divided on the issue of a pullout from the UPA government. Patel said the committee had decided to hold further consultations with party leaders from Maharashtra and a decision is likely to be arrived at tomorrow and "no later than the day after tomorrow".

Patel also had a brief discussion with Sonia in the Central Hall of Parliament today.

"As far as the UPA is concerned, we have made it clear that we are a part of the UPA and will continue to support the government and the UPA till the very end," he said.

NCP general secretary D P Tripathi denied that the functioning of their alliance government in Maharashtra was the central issue behind the current standoff. "The issue is not about Maharashta; it is about rashtra," he quipped.

... contd.

ALSO READ

Coal scam: Ashwani Kumar made two 'significant' deletions, says CBI

'Railway official was eyeing lucrative electrical post'

Bansal won't quit, Congress decides to weather new crisis

Sarabjit Singh cremated with state honours