No lack of coordination in Maharashtra Congress-NCP coalition: Thakre

Mumbai: Downplaying the issue of poor coordination in Congress-NCP coalition in Maharashtra, state Congress president Manikrao Thakre on Tuesday said members of the coordination committee had met as recently as this month during the Legislative Council polls.

"NCP-Congress coalition is working well in Maharashtra. Members on the coordination committee last met during the elections to the 11 Legislative Council seats," Thakre told reporters.

Though it was not a formal meeting of the panel, members on the committee had met to discuss the strategy.

State Congress president Manikrao Thakre said NCP-Congress coalition is working well in Maharashtra.

The committee includes Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Thakre, ministers Narayan Rane and Patangrao Kadam from Congress, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, state NCP chief Madhukar Pichad and ministers R R Patil and Chhagan Bhujbal from NCP.

Union minister Praful Patel and AICC Maharashtra incharge Mohan Prakash are also on the panel.

"Pichad says he wrote to me in March 2011 for coordination committee meeting. Before that I wrote to him in December 2010 but got no response. However we have met on several occasions for local bodies elections during the period," Thakre said.

Meanwhile, in an indication of a thaw, Pichad has responded to Thakre's letter yesterday informing him that the Congress was ready to hold monthly meetings of the committee and a suitable date and time should be fixed in consultation with the Chief Minister and his deputy.

"Pichad has replied to my yesterday's letter. He has sought to know the convenient dates," Thakre said.

"For the last few years there has been no coordination (between Congress and NCP) in Maharashtra," Praful Patel had said on Saturday after a meeting party supremo Sharad Pawar had with senior state party leaders.

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