Date:20/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/20/stories/2008082060581300.htm

National

Congress-SP coordination committee formed

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: A Congress-Samajwadi Party Coordination Committee similar to the kind of arrangement that existed between the United Progressive Alliance and the Left parties before the latter withdrew support to the government has been formed.

According to highly placed Congress sources, there would be four top leaders on the panel from the Congress side and two leaders from the Samajwadi Party.

It is learnt that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, party president Sonia Gandhi, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Defence Minister A.K. Antony would represent the Congress while Samajwadi Party President Mulayam Singh and general secretary Amar Singh are likely to be from the Samajwadi Party.

For smooth ties

The Samajwadi Party that had backed the UPA coalition through a trust vote in the Lok Sabha last month, had sought such an arrangement so that the ties between the coalition partners were smooth.

There has been no official word on when the panel would hold its first meeting.