Chavan steps in to resolve Cong-NCP differences

“There are grievances and there is no need to make a public spectacle out of it. We are both separate political parties in a pre-poll alliance and are sharing power. It is our job to run the state properly,” he said.

Chavan said,yesterday he had convened a separate meeting of senior leaders and ministers from both the parties to thrash out differences after the weekly cabinet meeting.

“I plan to call such meetings frequently to understand problems and resolve them for better functioning of the government. The next one would be after the Monsoon session of the state legislature which begins July 12,” he added.

Yesterday’s cabinet meeting saw NCP ministers lashing out at the Congress over the party spokesperson Hussain Dalwai’s reported remarks that NCP instigated the Sangli-Miraj riots last year to win elections.

Similarly,Congress ministers charged the NCP ministers with speaking against decisions taken collectively in the cabinet like the “Best Five” scheme for admissions to first year junior college.

MPCC president Manikrao Thakre said he had asked Dalwai to refrain from talking against the NCP since the two parties are in coalition.

He said a co-ordination committee of senior leaders and ministers of both the parties would be formed to meet regularly and thrash out differences.

Chavan said he would speak with the state unit presidents of both Congress and NCP on this issue.

When asked about NCP’s criticism that he did not trust its ministers and hence did not delegate charge to the Deputy Chief Minister when he was on his foreign tour,Chavan said “this issue has been resolved in the yesterday’s meeting. There is no need to create new issues today.”