By NNN-PTI,
Mumbai, India : Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan has offered a cabinet berth to suspended Congress leader and former Revenue Minister Narayan Rane but Chavan’s predecessor Vilasrao Deshmukh is insisting that Rane apologise to party high command before any such thing happens.
“If Rane is feeling remorse over his recent actions, he should tender an apology to party high command, target of his attacks,” Deshmukh said.
“I am sure the high command will give him a chance to remedy his behaviour,” he added.
Although Deshmukh did not specify what he meant by Rane’s “recent actions”, he was apparently referring to the scathing attack launched by Rane against party high command after being denied the Chief Ministerial chair last month.
Rane had said he did not trust the high command which did not honour the promise to make him Chief Minister when he joined Congress in 2005.
He had also attacked Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel. Rane’s son Nitesh also quit as Mumbai Youth Congress general secretary, saying the youth congress were disillusioned with Rahul Gandhi.
Meanwhile, MPCC President Manikrao Thakre, a known supporter of Deshmukh, is learnt to have dwelt on the adverse impact of retaining Rane in Congress, during his meeting with Sonia Gandhi in Delhi yesterday.
A Deshmukh supporter said they would impress upon the AICC leadership that in view of the coming Lok Sabha (Lower House) elections, keeping Rane within the Congress fold would not be in the party’s interest.