CM in damage control mode

MUMBAI: Under severe criticism over the ongoing political mayhem in the state, chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh plans to lead an all-party delegation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The move is aimed at correcting the impression that Maharashtra is unsafe for non-Maharashtrians.

Mr Deshmukh told mediapersons at Nashik on Thursday that he would soon talk to opposition leaders in this regard while denouncing the attacks on North Indians carried out by Raj Thackeray���s MNS.

Mr Deshmukh���s move comes in the wake of a stern letter Mr Singh wrote to him last week asking the chief minister to take urgent steps to check the incidents of violence. The all-party delegation will try to impress upon the prime minister that the situation in the state is not as bad as it is being portrayed by some leaders.

On railway minister Lalu Prasad���s threat to not hold railway board examinations in Maharashtra, the chief minister said such a decision cannot be taken on the basis of an isolated incident involving ���misguided youth.���

Earlier, in a public meeting, Mr Deshmukh came down heavily on those attacking people from other states living in Maharashtra. Mr Deshmukh said that outsiders should not be blamed for the scarcity of jobs in the state.