Congress miffed over Ajit Pawar calling NCP ministers' meeting

Pawar, who resigned from the Maharashtra Cabinet last week over corruption allegations, held a meeting of NCP ministers last night.

NCP has said that he was within his rights to call the meeting as the leader of party's legislature wing, as ministers are legislators too.

The party has denied that agenda of the today's cabinet meeting was discussed at the meeting called by Pawar.

At a meeting of a few Congress ministers, the ministers decided to convey displeasure over the last night's meeting to the NCP leadership.

The Congress ministers' meeting, at the residence of Nitin Raut, was attended by Sanjay Deotale, Naseem Khan, Padmakar Valvi, Varsha Gaikwad and Satej Patil, apart from state Congress chief Manikrao Thakre. The main agenda was preparation for the 2014 elections in the state, sources in the party said.

The ministers also decided to take up the issue of increasing the number of subsidised LPG cylinders from six to nine in Maharashtra at the next Cabinet meeting.