Praful Patel calls for fair and progressive functioning of UPA

Mumbai, July 21 (ANI): Heavy Industries Minister Praful Patel on Saturday urged the Congress party to rectify flaws within the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), and function as per the objective with which the coalition was formed.

Interacting with mediapersons here, Patel said, "We want the UPA government to complete its tenure progressively. Even in Mumbai, we want the Congress and the NCP to work in an effective manner."

Patel expressed dissatisfaction over the UPA's "working system and political view," and accused the coalition of not discharging its duties effectively.

"In last few years whether in Maharashtra or Delhi, we are not satisfied with the working system or political view of the UPA government, and our view has changed as we don't think the UPA is discharging its duties and assigned work in a correct manner," he added.

Further he recalled that the NCP had mooted a Coordination Committee to strengthen the functioning of the government in Maharashtra, but the Congress seemed to have bypassed the suggestion.

Earlier, senior NCP leaders met here and expressed their discontentment with the functioning of coalitions headed by the Congress party, both at the Central and the state level.

Maharashtra's Minister of Public Works Department, Chhagan Bhujbal, also participated in the meeting.

Earlier on Friday, the NCP had publicly declared it had issues over the functioning of the UPA.

The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh had reached out to NCP chief Sharad Pawar and called him a "very valuable colleague."

Later, Praful Patel addressed a media conference and said that his party would prepare in a responsible manner for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections along with the UPA , adding that some sections inside the Congress were fuelling unnecessary speculation.

Media reports earlier said that Pawar was extremely perturbed with the fact that after Pranab Mukherjee resigned from the Union Cabinet to contest the presidential election, Defence Minister A K Antony occupied the seat next to the Prime Minister at Cabinet meetings, reserved for the second most senior member of the government.

He is also said to have been disappointed for not being included in the high-level Cabinet Committee on Security. (ANI)