Cong wants to smoke the peace pipe NCP

MUMBAI: The post-poll confrontation between the partners of the ruling Congress-NCP combine in Maharashtra has forced the Congress to find ways to halt the divide. State unit president Manikrao Thakre on Monday proposed a joint committee to look into the complaints of Congress and NCP workers sabotaging the electoral prospects of official nominees in several constituencies in Maharashtra.

Mr Thakre, who chaired a meeting of district Congress presidents on Monday, told media persons that a large number of Congress candidates and office-bearers had complained to him about the NCP.

���They have complained that NCP workers worked at cross-purposes in 7 to 8 constituencies,��� Mr Thakre said. He added that NCP workers did not even pay heed to Sharad Pawar and RR Patil, who asked them to work for the Congress nominees.

However, the state Congress president acknowledged that similar complaints could also have been made by the NCP candidates. ���That���s why I have proposed a joint committee which will go into such complaints and suggest measures we need to take to ensure that such things don���t happen during the forthcoming Assembly polls,��� Mr Thakre said.

The Congress seems to have mellowed down after Mr Patil hit back saying the NCP too had complaints about ���non-cooperation��� by the Congress workers.

The state Congress president said he would send the proposal across to his NCP counterpart.