MPCC chief plans Mantralaya visit, but CM's camp unfazed

MUMBAI: The next round of battle between the Congress party and the state government will now be played out in the Mantralaya corridors. Prabha Rau, the state Congress president, plans to take the battle right into the offices of Congress ministers soon.

Ms Rau told reporters on Monday that she would start visiting Congress ministers’ offices and get reports on their performance during the past three years. Congress sources, however, mocked at Ms Rau’s gameplan to embarrass the Vilasrao Deshmukh government. “Previously, Ms Rau had asked Congress ministers to sit at the party office at least once a week and hold janata darbar. Not a single minister followed this directive, clearly making a statement that they did not care a damn for the party. It would be interesting to see if the MPCC president really calls on the ministers at their offices now,” said a Congress functionary.

Ms Rau, however, denied that she had worked out a schedule to visit the ministers. “But I do plan to visit Mantralaya very often now,” said Ms Rau whose ambition to topple Mr Deshmukh and stake her claim has not remained a secret ever since she took over the party reins in the state. Interestingly, Ms Rau would release a report on her performance as the MPCC president during the past three years at a function in Mumbai on Tuesday. Mr Deshmukh is likely to attend this programme.

On the much-speculated change of guard in Maharashtra, Ms Rau said the party high command would take a final call. “People are free to visit Delhi for their pre-determined engagements and meetings,” she said when asked about the failure of a 150-member strong delegation she had recently led to Sonia Gandhi seeking Mr Deshmukh’s ouster.

The state Congress chief also hit out at NCP boss Sharad Pawar on wheat imports, without naming the agriculture minister. “The Congress in Maharashtra has taken a serious note of the inferior quality of wheat imported and sold in Maharashtra under the public distribution system. We have written to the prime minister on this issue and called for withdrawal of the inferior quality stock meant for public distribution system,” Ms Rau said. Interestingly, the BJP had also made a similar demand last week.