Hours after the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) said that it would decide on ties with the Congress by Thursday, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the rift between the parties.

Earlier on Tuesday, NCP sources said, “If we don’t attend Cabinet meet on Thursday, then there is no turning back.”

The Maharashtra unit of the NCP also conveyed to its central leadership that if the Centre walks out, the state coalition would be put in jeopardy. Sonia Gandhi meets PM over NCP-Congress rift.

The NCP-Congress stand-off has Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan at its centre. Chavan has reportedly initiated probe into scams allegedly involving certain NCP leaders, including NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s nephew Ajit Pawar.

Chavan has refused to back down and the Congress too has refused to give in to Pawar’s demands of reining in the CM.