Maharashtra Cabinet meeting on Adarsh Commission report on Jan 2

MUMBAI: After Congress leader Rahul Gandhi publicly disapproved of the Maharashtra Cabinet's decision to reject a judicial commission report on the Adarsh scam, the state government has decided to take up the matter for discussion in the Cabinet meeting on January 2.

"Discussion on the Adarsh Commission report will take place in the cabinet meeting on January 2," a senior party leader said here today.

According to the party leader, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan also discussed the issue with the state Congress chief Manikrao Thakre yesterday.

The Maharashtra government had on December 20 rejected the report of the judicial commission of inquiry on the Adarsh scam, tabled in the Legislative Assembly.

The report of the two-member commission headed by retired High Court judge J A Patil indicted several politicians including four former Chief Ministers-- Ashok Chavan, late Vilasrao Deshmukh, Sushilkumar Shinde and Shivajirao Nilangekar Patil- for "blatant violations" of statutory provisions.

Several bureaucrats were also indicted in the report. The panel found 25 of the society's 102 members ineligible and 22 cases of benami purchase of flats.

However, four days back Rahul Gandhi disapproved of the decision of the state government to reject the commission report and said it should be reconsidered.

"Personally, I don't agree with that decision. They (Maharashtra) should reconsider that," the Congress Vice President said at a press conference where Prithviraj Chavan was also present.

On December 28, backing Rahul's views, Sonia Gandhi said the Adarsh issue would be resolved soon.

Chavan had later said that the state government would reconsider its earlier decision. Congress ally NCP also said that the party is open to reviewing the decision in the next Cabinet meeting.

Senior NCP leader Nawab Malik had also said that the state Congress should identify those who were responsible for putting it in a spot over the commission's report.

After the report was rejected in the Assembly, Chavan had said that the decision on rejection of the commission report was taken by the Cabinet "in the interest of the people".