Despite United Progressive Alliance ally Nationalist Congress Party targetting him, the Congress on Saturday ruled out removal of Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan.
"Where is the question of change of Maharashtra Chief Minister," a senior Congress leader, who declined to be identified, said.
The NCP, which has decided to pull out of the UPA government in protest against the way the party was being treated by Congress, has been complaining that the Chavan ministry was 'not pro-active'.
NCP is a major partner in the Congress-led coalition in Maharashtra since 1999.
The Congress statement came close on the heels of NCP chief Sharad Pawar held consultations in Mumbai with his nephew and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, state unit president Madhukar Pichad, home minister R R Patil and PWD minister Chhagan Bhujbal.
The NCP, a stable ally of Congress at the Centre for the last eight years, created a crisis of sorts for the government when Pawar, Minister for Agriculture, sent a communication to the prime minister expressing his decision to quit along with Patel, minister for heavy industry.