Cong downplays MLAs rebellion

The Congress party on Tuesday downplayed the fresh crisis in Maharashtra after over 40 party MLAs wrote to state Congress chief, voicing their grievances against Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan.

The MLAs have written to PCC chief Manikrao Thakre, seeking his intervention to settle issues ranging from lack of clearances for infrastructure projects, to delay in filling administrative posts and release of additional grants for development work in their constituencies.

According to Congress sources, the letter dated July 19, has also been marked to AICC in-charge of Maharashtra Mohan Prakash.

However, sources in the Congress played down the development. “Such situations, where a state leader faces opposition from a section within his party arises in every party, there is nothing new,” a senior Congress functionary said.

“Chavan was sent from Delhi, so many people in Maharashtra may be grudging his style of functioning,” said a source in the party, adding that the “party sees the letters of our legislators to the PCC president in a positive way”. Chavan enjoyed the confidence of the party high command, the source added.

Incidentally, the MLAs’ letter was written on the same day, when NCP chief Sharad Pawar wrote to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi expressing his desire to quit the UPA government and support it from outside in protest against the way the party was treated by the Congress.

‘State issue’

A senior NCP leader stressed his party's unhappiness was related more to issues in Maharashtra, adding that there had not been a single meeting of the Congress-NCP coordination committee since Chavan became the Chief Minister.

Unlike at the Centre, the NCP Ministers in Maharashtra are not being consulted by the Chief Minister even while appointing Secretaries of their departments, the NCP leader indicated.

Sources in NCP further indicated that any pull out in Delhi could have a cascading effect on the coalition in Maharashtra as the state leaders favour exiting the Congress-led ministry.