Lucknow: Even as the Congress Working Committee authorised All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Sonia Gandhi to take a decision on party's joining Mulayam Singh government in Uttar Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) president Jagdambika Pal on August 29 said majority of party MLAs favoured participating in the ministry.

"The majority of party MLAs and workers are in favour of joining the coalition government and the party high command has already been apprised of their feelings," Pal told reporters.

The CWC had on August 28 night discussed at length the issue of whether to join the government in the state and authorised Gandhi to take a decision, Pal said, adding her views on the matter would be acceptable to all.

Pal said his party would take up with the new government the issue of renaming Amethi district after former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. It was named by the Mayawati government after Dalit icon Chhatrapati Sahuji Maharaj, triggering protests from Congress.

"As per the wishes of the people of the area which was represented by Rajiv Gandhi in Lok Sabha and owes its progress to him, the newly created district should be named after him and not Sahuji Maharaj," Pal said.

He also said he had discussed with Mulayam Singh Yadav the controversial decision of Mayawati government to take over the land of the Indira Gandhi Prathisthan and use it for construction of Ambedkar library and museum. The Congress wants the land to be handed back to the Pratisthan.

PTI