Cong-NCP coordination committee meet likely on Aug 2-3

A meeting of the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party coordination committee in the state would take place around August 2 or 3, in the backdrop of the recent standoff between the two parties.

"The meeting is expected to take place on August 2 or 3," state Congress chief Manikrao Thakre told the media in Mumbai. The committee was revived after the recent standoff between the NCP and Congress, who share the power in Maharashtra.

Thakre was critical of the comments of his NCP counterpart, Madhukar Pichad, against Chavan. Pichad had said that chief minister did not clear the files of departments handled by NCP ministers, or heed demands of NCP legislators.

"Chavan's functioning is transparent and for public good. The NCP should bring up specific complaints. Chavan does not have personal agenda. We will discuss this with NCP in the coordination committee meeting," Thakre said.

When asked about the praise of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi by Congress's Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Darda (who is from Maharashtra), Thakre said, "The issue is in the purview of the high command."

To a question on Monday's editorial in Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamna, which takes swipes at him, Thakre said, "One cannot expect Saamna to write good about me."

He, however, rejected the allegation that he instigated Congress MLAs to write against Chavan's style of functioning to the party leadership.