Congress may go just half way to placate Narayan Rane

NEW DELHI: Sulking Congress leader Narayan Rane appears to have failed to persuade the party high command to have his way totally with the AICC hinting that it could go half way to meet his demands.

A senior central leader, who declined to be identified, said Rane, who resigned as the Industry Minister in the state government early this week, wanted the Revenue portfolio as also PCC chief's post.

The leader said Rane was told that he could get either one of them.

The indications from AICC came a day after Rane met Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi after he quit the Prithviraj Chavan ministry seeking a leadership change in the assembly poll-bound state.

Rane, who resigned on Monday from the cabinet, met Gandhi to explain his stand on the need for a change of guard in the state.

Meanwhile at the AICC briefing, party spokesman P C Chacko insisted the Congress-NCP coalition in the state was "strong" and suggested that it was but natural that there could be tussle for securing more seats in the seat allocation ahead of assembly polls.

He noted Congress and NCP are together in the government in Maharashtra for the last 15 years.