The state Congress meeting, held in the backdrop of Revenue Minister Narayan Rane's reported manoeuvres in Delhi, turned out to be a six hour-long tame affair.
The state Congress meeting, held in the backdrop of Revenue Minister Narayan Rane's reported manoeuvres in Delhi, turned out to be a six hour-long tame affair.
In the absence of any cue from the high command on changes in both the state outfit and the government, the party members decided to play it safe and made it a forum for discussion on various issues, which apparently prompted the AICC observer Margaret Alva to comment, “All of you here are having a very cordial debate. But when you come to Delhi, you are bickering and backbiting against one another.”
The closed door meeting chaired by AICC general secretary in-charge of Maharashtra, Margaret Alva, began on an uneasy note as half a dozen senior members led by Rane had camped in Delhi for the last two days mounting pressure on the Congress high command to replace CM Vilasrao Deshmukh.
The MPCC president Prabha Rau, too, is opposed to Deshmukh continuing as head of the government and hopes for change of leadership in the next cabinet reshuffle, sources said.
Alva indicated as much when she said, “I leave it to the CM and Rau to prepare a year-long tour around the state to strengthen the party in Maharashtra.”
The meeting, according to sources, ignored Rane's open campaign to displace Deshmukh. Sources close to Rane said that the revenue minister met Congress President Sonia Gandhi and the PM Dr Manmohan Singh to invite them for his son Nilesh’s wedding. He reportedly raised the issue of change of guard in the state with Gandhi.
Later, talking to the press, Rau maintained that she had no knowledge of any cabinet reshuffle. “Nobody has talked to me.
Since the leadership change is not on the agenda, I cannot say whether it may or may not happen,” she said. Highly placed sources in the Congress cautioned, “There are several players at work trying to destabilise Deshmukh, including Minister for Animal Husbandry Anees Ahmed who has declared an open war on Deshmukh on commercialisation of Wakf Board lands.
The minorities are also urging the government to implement Srikrishna Commission report. But Rau was non-committal, “We will ensure justice to all. Whatever CM has said is binding on one and all.”
Deshmukh, on his part, decided attack was the best form of defence, as he took the MPCC apart for “playing the role of an aggressive opposition”.
The CM reportedly told the gathering, “Instead of supporting the government, the seven high-powered MPCC players were strongly criticising the government on various issues.”
As soon as he entered the Congress headquarters in Dadar, his supporters raised slogans to display their solidarity with him. Insiders also feel that Rau and Deshmukh have decided to close ranks to ensure that both continue in their respective positions instead of paving way for others.
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