CHENNAI: The Congress on Saturday said it was in favour of a Common Minimum Programme for the State for providing good governance and ensuring that election promises were fulfilled.

"The Congress party is for evolving a common minimum programme and for its review from time to time to ensure unity and coordination among the Democratic Progressive Alliance parties and to facilitate implementation of assurances made in the election manifestos of the Democratic Progressive Alliance parties, besides providing good governance with social justice," Congress leader M. Veerapa Moily said in a release.

He said he had discussed these issues with Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi earlier in the day.

The statement also added that though sharing of power by the alliance partners was not an issue before the election, aspirations had been raised in the minds of the Congress legislators and in the party on joining the Government. Mr. Moily assured them that the concerns of the workers would be duly addressed by the All-India Congress Committee. He said workers need not have any apprehensions on the issue. He said nothing should be done to create an environment of misgiving in the DPA. The need of the hour was unity to take forward the party with the gains of the present victory. He assured them that the AICC would uphold their interest and make the party strong to serve the people of the State.

Protest staged

Meanwhile, Congress workers staged shouted slogans and staged a demonstration in front of the party headquarters, Satyamurthi Bhavan, here. They were agitated over the manner in which the party MLAs had been treated by the high command. They said the AICC did not consult the legislators before taking the decision to support the Government from outside. They said after nearly 40 years the party had got an opportunity to share power in the State. The high command failed to make use of the opportunity, they said.

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