UPA coordination committee to meet on September 27

, Sept 26: A meeting of the

coordination committee will be held on Thursday in the wake of the political crisis in Maharashtra which has witnessed serious rift in the ruling

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coalition in the state.

The committee was set up last month to ensure a smooth functioning of the UPA after the NCP, one of its constituents, raised the issue of lack of coordination in the alliance. Thursday's meeting will also be the first of the panel, which is headed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, after Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) pulled out of the government earlier this month.

The TMC was the second-largest ally in the UPA after the Congress with 19 MPs and its withdrawal reduced the government into a working minority. Banerjee was upset with the government's decision of allowing foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail, increasing diesel price and putting a cap on the number of subsidised LPG cylinders.

On Thursday's meeting, however, when NCP vice-president and Union minister Praful Patel was asked whether his party would raise the issue of Ajit Pawar's resignation as the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, Patel replied in the negative.

The Congress is currently witnessing a lean phase as far as maintaining rapport with its coalition partners is concerned. While the TMC pulled out, the DMK organised a strike against the government's moves on economic reforms on Sept 20, the day when the Opposition called a nationwide agitation to protest the government's decision.

On Tuesday, the Congress Working Committee endorsed the government's initiatives. Congress president Sonia Gandhi said the steps were crucial to bring back the economy on the track. It is expected that Thursday's meeting will be an attempt by the ruling alliance to prepare a coherent response to the economic challenges.

OneIndia News