Taking a sympathetic approach towards the 50 interns of the fifth fellowship batch inducted under the previous regime, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is likely to let them complete their 11-month tenure that ends in April-May, even though the Congress and NCP have demanded their immediate dismissal.

The issue came up for discussion at a weekly cabinet meeting and soon turned into a heated debate when Congress and NCP ministers demanded a final decision in the matter. The ministers had alleged in the previous meetings that the BJP-led government had inducted those youth who believe in BJP's ideology and were suited for the party's drive of extending its agenda instead of using their expertise for development programmes of various state-run departments and agencies.