NCP wants to pull out of UPA government

Party supremo Sharad Pawar, Minister for Agriculture, and the only other representative in the Union Cabinet, Praful Patel, Minister for Heavy Industry, have informed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that they are tendering their resignation.

In a separate communication to UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Pawar has said NCP, which has nine members in the Lok Sabha and seven in the Rajya Sabha, will stay part of the UPA.

Despite these missives from NCP sent yesterday, the Congress leadership was continuing to make efforts to retain the party in the coalition government.

The Congress Core Group including Gandhi, Singh and senior Ministers, met here this evening after which party sources claimed the crisis was being defused. (More)