PANAJI: With barely twelve hours to go before the beginning of the budget session of the state legislative assembly, the Congress and its allies in the government hammered out a deal in Mumbai after prolonged discussions and decided to work together and ensure passing of the finance bill for the year 2010-11.

The Nationalist Congress Party general secretary, Mr Prakash Binsale told ‘The Navhind Times’ late on Sunday that all the issues were discussed threadbare and the "warring" parties decided to work together. He further said that next round of talks to end the crisis would be held in New Delhi on March 31, adding that Congress has agreed to resolve all the issues during the next meeting to the satisfaction of all.

Mr Binsale, speaking on behalf of his senior leader Mr Praful Patel, also said that the group of seven led by the NCP raised all the issues during the co-ordination committee meeting and that it was decided not to create any problem for the government during the budget session. He said that the meeting lasted almost five hours at which an interim decision to support the Congress-led government was reached.

The NCP leader further said that the decision to support the government was because his party did not want to plunge the state into financial crisis by not passing the finance bill. He went on to add that the agreement was to the satisfaction of the group of seven.

He also said that both the parties have agreed that ministers and MLAs will not go to media with any statement and that in case anyone breaches the agreement, he will be severely dealt with and strict action taken. The allies of the Congress in the government who had been projecting themselves as group of seven have been demanding apology from Congress leaders – Public Works Department Minister, Mr Churchill Alemao and Deputy Speaker, Mr Mauvin Godinho – for their utterances against the Nationalist Congress Party leaders in the state, particularly after the Zilla Panchayat elections in which the Congress party fared well.

Earlier in the day, the state Congress in a meeting expressed full backing to the Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat and told him to take any decision including dissolution of the state legislative assembly and holding of fresh elections, said sources in the party.