Even as the Congress leaders have extended support to Rahul Gandhi’s tirade against Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and backed the decision to withdraw ordinance on convicted politicians, there is a revolt within the UPA over the way the issue was handled.

Sharad Pawar’s NCP has expressed its disappointment and asked for a meeting of the UPA allies to discuss the issue. Pawar is very upset at the ordinance flip-flop and expected to raise the issue in the meeting.

Also, the Samajwadi Party, which is supporting the UPA from outside, expressed strong opposition to the withdrawal of ordinance, saying it would undermine the PM’s position before the country. “The PM should not be made a laughing stock,” the party said.

Meanwhile, under pressure from Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, President Pranab Mukherjee and many other top Congress leaders, PM Manmohan Singh will be forced to withdraw the ordinance after leaving it to the discretion of the cabinet.