Even as he clarified that the Nationalist Congress Party would remain with the UPA, Union Minister Praful Patel was critical of the Congress in a television interview, saying it had failed to consult allies on key issues.
In the interview on Wednesday, Mr. Patel said that in the UPA’s second term “the Congress drifted from the principle of taking everybody along.”
It would have been better had the Congress consulted allies, including the NCP.
Faulting the “disconnect” between the party and the UPA government, he said, “There have been instances where the Congress says something and the government does something different. You cannot have this kind of disconnect.”
Mr. Patel’s dig at the Congress has renewed speculation on whether the NCP is planning to shift to the saffron camp after the results.
On Tuesday, he said the BJP would emerge the single largest party and that “a stable government would be good for the country.”
But he later clarified, “We have fought elections with the UPA and against the NDA. The position of the NCP is clear. All I had said was that whoever forms the government, it is important to have a stable government for the development of the country.”
