Saturday, January 21 2006 17:00 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Hyderabad: The 82nd plenary of the Congress, beginning here tomorrow (Jan 22,2006) is likely to come out with some concrete proposals to strengthen the party nationwide, without disturbing its first coalition experiment at the center and those in the states, notwithstanding the uncertainty in Karnataka.

The Karnataka crisis could prompt the party to introspecton the issue of coalition amidst charges by some allies that the Congress was adopting a 'big brother' attitude and was going away from the Common Minimum Programme on economic issues.

In fact, the reference to Karnatka developments could come in at the extended Congress Working Committee's meeting this evening, which is essentially called to approve draft Resolutions to be presented at the Plenary.

A K Antony, the CWC member in charge of Karnataka affairs and party General Secretary Margaret Alva who only yesterday (Jan 20,2006) held talks with JD (S) Supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda at Bangalore will also attend the evening deliberations.

However, Congress leaders are on an overdrive to downplay the Karnataka crisis which has caught the leadership off guard. There has been bitterness in a section of the party the way things took shape in Bangalore while there is still another section hoping against hope to retrieve the situation.