Standoff ends as NCP gets coordination committee

The decision was taken at a meeting of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia with NCP chief Sharad Pawar and party leader Praful Patel. Patel said the committee would help “cohesive functioning”.

During the UPA-I regime,its coordination committee with the Left had emerged as a powerful body,vetting major decisions of the government.

The Congress and NCP also decided to revamp their coordination committee in Maharashtra,which has met just once in three years. In fact,the functioning of the coalition government in the state was said to be the main cause of the crisis. The revamped committee will include Patel,the AICC in-charge of Maharashtra,the Chief Minister,the Deputy CM,and state presidents of the two parties.

Patel assured that today’s decision had put a “full stop to whatever happened in five-seven days”. “We are an integral part of the government and will fufill our responsibility,” he said.

While denial of the No. 2 position in the Cabinet to Pawar,who holds the Agriculture Ministry,was perceived to be the immediate provocation for the NCP’s pullout threat,he is now likely to play an important role in the government’s decision-making process with the setting-up of the coordination committee. As the seniormost politician in the committee,he is likely to play a decisive role in the formulation of policies before they are taken up by the Union Cabinet. Given that it was Pawar who voiced the grouse of the Congress’s allies of being ignored,the NCP chief has virtually emerged as their leader.

At the same time,it could prove useful for the Congress as the problems with its allies is perceived to be one of the major factors behind the government’s policy paralysis.