After a meeting between NCP chief Pawar and Congress President Sonia Gandhi this morning and with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last night, the party, however, said it continues to be an "integral" part of the UPA.
Rejecting as "absurd" that Pawar was upset over the denial of Number 2 slot in the Cabinet, Patel said the party has raised "completely different" issues with the Prime Minister in a communication and with Sonia Gandhi and what ultimately the party decides will be communicated after its meeting on Monday.
"We are unhappy with some aspects which have been raised by Pawar in personal meetings with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi," Patel said after Pawar held confabulations with senior party colleagues.
Asked whether Pawar and he have resigned, Heavy Industries Minister Patel said, "till such time we have not given any formal resignation...The issue is not resignation...Till it is not accepted...We have sent a communication."
Without disclosing the specific aspects of discord, he said, "our issues are: functioning of the Government, functioning of UPA and functioning of the larger coalition."
Patel said the UPA-II was entering the last two years of its term and NCP wanted the government to be "more decisive" and "more committed" to the issues before the people of the country.
"We do have certain issues on which we want some new direction," he said. (MORE)