NCP says stop flip-flops,Cong rift out in open

“We feel that constant flip-flops on government’s decisions send a wrong message among masses. Our humble request to our ally (Congress) is to identify leaders,both in Delhi and Maharashtra,responsible for confusion in decision-making and keep them aside,” state NCP spokesperson and legislator Nawab Mallik said.

On Thursday,NCP leader and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar had said it was the CM’s decision to reject the Adarsh report. He said the NCP was willing to support Chavan if he were to reconsider the decision to reject the report.

Wary of the political fallout,Chavan has been maintaining that it was the state Cabinet’s collective and unanimous decision to reject the report. Following Gandhi’s intervention,Chavan,who was in Delhi,said,“I will have to consult my Cabinet colleagues. Since it is a Cabinet decision,Cabinet’s consent will be needed. But we (Congress) are committed to fight corruption. What Rahulji has said would be looked into.”

Dismissing reports that the probe report was buried due to pressure from the top Congress leadership,the CM said,“Where is the question of pressure from the party leadership when the decision was taken during the Cabinet meeting.”

Gandhi’s stand over the controversy has also brought out the discord within the Congress. Welcoming Gandhi’s stand,city Congress president Janaradan Chandurkar said,“I personally feel the gravity of the allegations made in the commission’s report was not taken into consideration by the Cabinet. These allegations should have been studied in depth before rejecting the report. The Cabinet would have done well to appoint an committee to study the panel’s findings,” he said.

Earlier,on December 24,Union Minister for Information and Technology and Congress MP from South Mumbai Milind Deora had said,“If the Adarsh report raises questions,we should investigate,answer them and not hush them up.”

State Congress president Manikrao Thakre said that since Gandhi had made his stand clear,it was now for the Cabinet to decide on the matter.