MPCC chief snubs Rane for publicly airing grievances

MUMBAI: Revenue minister Narayan Rane���s marginalisation in the Congress continues despite his desperate attempts to project himself as the best man for the top job in the state.

On Friday, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Manikrao Thakre virtually snubbed Mr Rane for publicly airing his grievances about the party and the government. Mr Thakre, who is close to chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Mr Rane���s bete noire, reminded the revenue minister of party discipline.

���Whatever views and grievances Mr Rane has, he must not make it public. The party forum is available to him to put forth his views,��� Mr Thakre said. The MPCC president was reacting to a persistent criticism by Mr Rane of the Vilasrao Deshmukh-led government and also the Congress party over a considerably long period now. Mr Thakre also stated that he planned to hold talks with Mr Rane and hear out his grievances.

Mr Rane���s latest diatribe against the Congress-NCP government and jibes directed at Mr Deshmukh came out a couple of days back in Nagpur. The revenue minister lambasted the party leadership for not keeping the promises made to him when he left the Sena and joined the Congress.

Mr Rane, however, did not specify the kind of promises party leadership allegedly had made. He also said that the Congress would face people���s wrath in the elections on account of bad performance by the state government.
Mr Thakre, however, thinks that the government had performed well and there was no need to panic. Asked if this outburst by a senior minister warranted disciplinary action, Mr Thakre said he was not aware of the promises Mr Rane was talking about and so he would not be able to comment on that.

���I will speak to Mr Rane first and try to hear directly from him his grievances. As a party functionary, it is my responsibility to speak with everybody in the party who wants to say something,��� Mr Thakre said.

He, however, reacted sharply to Mr Rane���s claim that the MPCC president did not apply his own mind when it came to running the party in the state. ���I speak to everybody, I take suggestions from all my worthy colleagues in the party, but I go by own mind,��� Mr Thakre said.