Congress downplays demand for CMP for UPA

Congress downplayed demands for a Common Minimum Programme (CMP) for the UPA saying a small group will be constituted to consider the common points of the manifestos of the parties in the alliance.

Congress on Wednesday downplayed demands for a Common Minimum Programme (CMP) for the UPA saying a small group will be constituted to consider the common points of the manifestos of the parties in the alliance.

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"A small group will be formed that will decide what are the issues in the manifestos of other parties which could be included," AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi told reporters after the first meeting of the pre-poll alliance partners of the UPA here.

Asked about the issue of CMP raised by Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee in the UPA meeting, Dwivedi said that he will not comment on what she said in individual capacity in the meeting.

"There was a consensus...This is not the first time, the UPA government is being formed," Dwivedi said, indicating that instead of CMP, there would merely be a small group to look into the issues which the allies have raised and promised in their manifestos.

Party sources said that the issue of including RJD, SP and LJP, who were part of the last UPA regime but were not pre-poll partners of the Congress, did not come up in the UPA meeting at the residence of party President Sonia Gandhi.

Sources maintained that this effectively meant that the doors of the Cabinet are closed for RJD and SP.