By IANS,
New Delhi: The UPA coordination committee is expected to meet Thursday in the backdrop of the problems in the functioning of the Congress-NCP coalition government in Maharashtra, sources said.
Issues concerning the working of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) would figure in the meeting, they said Wednesday.
It will be the first meeting of the committee since the Trinamool Congress pulled out of the UPA protesting against foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail and also the increase in diesel prices and the cap on the supply of subsidised cooking gas cylinders per family per year.
Another UPA constituent, the DMK had also expressed reservations over the economic decisions of the government.
Sources said that the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) may not to raise the issue of the resignation of party leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar at the coordination committee’s meeting.
Pawar quit Tuesday amid allegations that he arbitrarily doled out irrigation contracts worth over Rs.20,000 crore as the state water resources minister in 1999-2009.
There is a separate co-ordination committee between the Congress and the NCP, who are running a coalition government in Maharashtra.
The UPA committee was constituted after the NCP spoke about lack of co-ordination in the ruling alliance. It was mandated to meet every month.
The decision to form the committee was taken in July and it held its first meeting Aug 8.
The committee is headed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and includes Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Defence Minister A.K. Antony, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde.
Besides Pawar, Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh, Indian Union Muslim League leader E. Ahamed and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah are other members.