"We don't adopt big-brotherly attitude towards UPA allies" : Congres

New Delhi, Sep 18 (UNI) The Congress Party today asserted that it never adopted a "big-brotherly" attitude towards the allies of the ruling coalition at the Centre, and said the "coalition dharma" was fully followed in the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) headed by it.

AICC Spokesman Abishek Manu Singhvi was reacting to the resolution of the Nationalist Congress Party (BNCP), a partner of the UPA, complaining that its demand for inclusion of all UPA allies in the UPA-Left Coordination Committee had been "ignored" by the Congress.

Saying that there was a "conceptual confusion" on the part of the NCP, he said there was an intra-UPA coordination committee for coordination between the Congress, which is heading the coalition, and the allies forming the UPA. All parties which formed part of the UPA were represented in some form or the other in the government.

Since the Left parties were not part of the UPA, a coordination committee between the Congress and the Left was functioning by taking into consideration the valuable support being extended to the government by them from outside.

"Despite the presence of these mechanisms for coordination, if there are any nitty-gritty issue, the partners of the UPA can discuss and arrive at a solution," Dr Singhvi said.

"If there is a change required, UPA can always decide. There is no question of any big-brotherly attitude being shown by the Congress," he said, adding that " it is a coalition....no coalition can carry forward the dharma of coalition in a better way than the UPA." Replying to a question, he said if any specific proposal is collectively placed before the UPA, it will be looked at. If the NCP resolution is put forward as a proposal, the UPA will take a decision." Asked about the criticism of the Congress by the NCP resolution, Dr Singhvi said "you are referring to the political meet of a political party. All political parties are free to hold their views.

We do not have objection to their views and their effort to build their base." When his attention was drawn to the reported statement of Kerala Congress leader and Union Minister Vayalar Ravi that former Congress leader K Karunakaran would not be given entry to the UPA even if his party DIC merged with the NCP, Dr Singhvi said there was no proposal of Mr Karunakaran's party entering the UPA. "Marriage or divorce of one party or the other is left to the concerned party to decide.

With regard to this particular issue, there is no proposal and no discussion had taken place." UNI SH RA RS1958