Ally trouble continues to dog Congress

New Delhi - The Congress continued to be dogged by ally trouble Saturday as strains in its relationship with the NCP remained unresolved and the Trinamool Congress said it was capable of going it alone in West bengal as it had the majority to run the state government.

A day after the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) said it was unhappy with some aspects of functioning of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, the Sharad Pawar-led party Saturday said it also had concerns over the way the alliance was working in Maharashtra.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was quick to seize on the troubles of the Congress and said it has made a mess of its coalition.

NCP leader and Heavy Industries Minister Praful Patel said in Mumbai after meeting party leaders that the functioning of the alliance government has not been according to expectation of the party and its views were not considered.

Pawar, who is also the agriculture minister, has already sent a communication to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh conveying the party's unhappiness with some aspects of functioning of the UPA government. The NCP has threatened to pull out of government and provide it only outside support.

Sources said Pawar has told Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, whom hem met in quick succession Thursday night and Friday morning, that the NCP would like to keep out of the government and focus on its growth since it was small and elections to the Lok Sabha were approaching.

Though the Congress leadership has sought to mollify Pawar, the NCP leader has remained unswayed.

The NCP leaders will meet in Delhi Monday to take a final decision on its threat to pull out of the government.

In Kolkata, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee gave clear indication Saturday that the Trinamool Congress would not ally with the Congress in the coming panchayat polls in the state, and said her party was capable of going it alone in the state as it had the majority to run the government.

However, Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed downplayed her threat to go it alone in panchayat polls.

“It is normal in an alliance to remain together in certain elections and to fight separately in certain elections,” Ahmed, who is in charge of the Congress affairs in West Bengal, told IANS.

He said the two parties had also contested the earlier panchayat polls separately.

“We have asked PCC (Pradesh Congress Committee) whether to contest alone or jointly. The AICC (All India Congress Committee) does not interfere in panchayat elections,” Ahmed said.

Banerjee also said the alliance with the Congress at the centre would remain only "so long we are treated with respect and dignity".

The threats from its two allies are likely to take away from the Congress leadership's present focus to shore up image of the government and strengthen the party's organisational structure.

The NCP and Trinamool Congress are major constituents of the UPA government and are partners of the Congress in ruling alliances in Maharshtra and West Bengal respectively.

The UPA is in the middle of a vice presidential election and the government has to gear up for the forthcoming monsoon session of parliament.

With less than two years left for the next general elections, the government is yet to deliver on its key promise of food security bill. It is also yet to get the ticklish Lokpal bill passed in parliament.

BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi took a dig at the Congress over its troubles and said the party could not follow the successful path of running alliance shown by National Democratic Alliance government.

Naqvi said the UPA government was ignoring national problems like drought and inflation, and was instead worried about troubles from allies and the presidential and vice presidential elections.

BJP president Nitin Gadkari said in Nagpur that the UPA was a sinking ship and allies were about to desert it.