Narayan Rane opts out of chief minister’s race

By IANS,

Mumbai : Maharashtra Revenue Minister Narayan Rane, a strong contender for the chief minister’s post, announced Friday evening that he was out of the race.

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Although he said he was not quitting the Congress, Rane attacked outgoing Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and the likely successor Ashok Chavan at a hurriedly convened media briefing at his residence.

Rane said Deshmukh should have first owned moral responsibility for last week’s Mumbai terror attacks and quit immediately.

He said that Deshmukh was “directly responsible” for the deaths of 172 innocents and hundreds injured in the terror attack.

Rane had joined the Congress in 2005 after quitting the Shiv Sena.