Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday said the issue of Congress President Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin would be raised during the upcoming assembly elections.

The statement came a day after Maharashtra PCC president Ranjit Deshmukh issued an "ultimatum" giving Pawar a week to either "reconsider" his stand on the issue or face "dire consequences".

"Due to compulsions, the party had to forge an alliance with Congress in Maharashtra but at the national level both the parties reserve the right to criticise one another," he said in Sirul, Maharashtra.

On the other hand, Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushilkumar