NEW DELHI. Nov 10: India's Congress Party has reaffirmed its support for Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral's 15-party coalition but urged the alliance to form a panel to promote coordination. party officials said today, reports Reuter.

"The Congress Party has been lending support to the UF (United Front) meticulously," the decision-making Congress Working Committee (CWC) said in a resolution passed after a three-hour meeting on Sunday.

"It is essential, nowever. that to rationalise and strengthen this relationship, a broad, deep and continuous dialogue between the Congress Party and the UF is institutionalised at the earliest possible in order to avoid friction in the future." it said.

The United Front was formed last year. Congress is not part of the centre-left alliance but agreed to support it to

oust the 12-day-old government of the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the largest in parliament.

A coordination panel proposed then has yet to'be established.

Congress. Indias oldest party, is under pressure to put its house In order, the BJP said publicly earlier this month that it would welcome Congress defectors and in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, more than 20 Congress lawmakers defected to the BJP government.

"It (defections) has emboldened the party (BJP) to launch a psychological warfare..." the CWC resolution said.

Congress also renewed its charge that the BJP is biased against India's minority Muslims.

The Hindu newspaper quoted Congress president Sitaram Kesri as saying at yesterday's meeting that there would be no

compromise on secularism.

"Whether I remain the president or not. there will be no compromise with the BJP," it quoted him as saying.

Meanwhile, news on assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 has put pressure on the party leadership to ensure that people indicted by the panel face stern action.

The leaks, so far unconfirmed. have suggested that people in Gujral's coalition or close to it could be indicted.

The CWC asked the government to help the probe and welcomed the government's move to table the report in parliament on the first day of its winter session on November 19.

"The Working Committee calls ... that the government of India must supply all these documents to the commission so that there is no difficulty for it

to genuinely complete its task in the time available to it." it said.

AP adds: India's federal coalition is what the people want. Indian Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral said in defence of his embattled government Monday.

The art of running a coalition government may be a relatively new experience for us. but it appears to be the only workable political option in the foreseeable future," said Gujral. whose 14-party United Front has been battered by infighting and the threat of parties from outside the coalition trying to form their own government.

He was addressing a meeting of the Socialist International of which his Janata Dal Party is a member.

The coalition government at the centre Is ... in response to the mandate of the people." Gujral said.