MUMBAI, 12 September 2007 — Immediately after both houses of Parliament had wrapped up the monsoon session, Congress leaders and dissidents have shifted their base to Delhi to lobby for change in state leadership with the Congress High Command.
Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh flew to Delhi on Tuesday afternoon. Deshmukh's beta-noire state Congress chief Prabha Rau is already camping in Delhi for the past five days. State Revenue Minister and a strong candidate for the chief minister's post Narayan Rane and his supporters are all prepared to fly to Delhi late Tuesday night. In view of the hectic movement of Congress leaders to lobby for a leadership change in Maharashtra would generate political heat from Wednesday.
The chief minister's supporters and the dissident groups have become active in Delhi and engaged in leveling allegations against each other. The All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Margaret Alva who is also in charge of Congress affairs in Maharashtra is solidly standing behind Rane and extending him support.
Now Prabha Rau too is supporting Rane against Deshmukh. During her last few days of stay in Delhi, Rau has initiated her action for Deshmukh's ouster by circulating reports to Members of Parliament prepared by the state Congress on several controversial issues. This would cause some embarrassment to Deshmukh and his supporters.
For the first time there will be organizational changes in the state Congress. The Congress High Command in Delhi is all set to remove Rau from the state party leadership and is considering of giving an opportunity to some leaders from backward community. If Rau is removed, then Deshmukh would have find no danger to his chief minister's chair. Anticipating the likelihood of Deshmukh being sacked, Members of Parliament from the state have also become active too. It is said that except for one MP from Western Maharashtra and another from Mumbai, Deshmukh has a majority of MPs supporting him.
Rane who has laid his claim for the state chief minister's post, has showed his willingness to accept the post of the state Congress chief, if he fails to grab the post of chief minister. Rane's supporters consisting of some MPs and legislators are departing for Delhi in batches.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena working president Uddhav Thackeray led a delegation of his party MPs and met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday afternoon on the issue of Shiv Sena's opposition to the recommendations and implementation of the Sachar Commission report and the benefits that would be allotted to the Muslim community based on the panel report.
Uddhav and the Sena delegation members told the Prime Minister that they strongly opposed the Sachar report and that it was his Congress party that has announced the recommendations and implementation of the report. The Prime Minister gave the Sena delegation a patient hearing and said that he would look into the matter.
Later, late afternoon, Uddhav and his delegation had a working lunch with senior BJP leader L.K. Advani, who is also the BJP leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha (lower house) at his Delhi residence, and discussed future course of alliance relationship between the Sena and BJP in Maharashtra. The meeting between high ranking leaders of both the saffron alliance partners was against the backdrop of their recent strained relations, in which senior leaders from both the factions had hurled serious allegations against each other.
