No ultimatum to Congress, says NCP

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Wednesday said it had issued no ultimatum to the Congress and only wanted "better coordination" in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA).

"There is no ultimatum... We only want better coordination... A dialogue can solve these issues," NCP leader and Heavy Industries Minister Praful Patel told reporters.

According to Patel, the NCP, which runs a coalition government with the  Congress in Maharashtra, is not gunning for the removal of Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan.

"Who would be Maharashtra chief minister is not an issue... that has been  decided and it is for the Congress to decide," Patel said.

The NCP Monday put on hold its decision to stay out of the UPA  government till Wednesday citing coalition glitches.

But it also reiterated that it continued to be an integral part of the Congress-led UPA.
The NCP's grouse is that it was not consulted on key policy decisions at  the central and state level and there was lack of coordination between the NCP and the Congress.

To mark their protest, NCP ministers did not attend Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's farewell dinner for outgoing President Pratibha Patil.

However, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Patel were present at a send off for her in parliament earlier in the day.