Cong leaders broker truce between CM, Adik

MUMBAI, OCT 24: Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, whose one-year tenure has been far from remarkable, has finally something to bank upon. ...

MUMBAI, OCT 24: Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, whose one-year tenure has been far from remarkable, has finally something to bank upon. The party leadership has apparently brokered a peace deal between him and State Congress Chief Govindrao Adik, who was himself eyeing the chief ministership for some time.

This development was made public today by none other than Vilasrao’s political guru, former union minister S B Chavan and AICC general secretary Motilal Vora, at a function to celebrate one year of the Congress-led DF government in office at the party’s state headquarters.

"Some days ago, both of them sat together and sorted out their differences. They pledged before the party president to work unitedly in coming days," Chavan disclosed while addressing partymen.

Now it is upto them to keep their words, he added.

The revelation of the senior party leader has come at a time when the partymen were apprehending a keen tussle between the chief minister and Adik over the top job in the DF government. Ever since he was handpicked by Sonia Gandhi to lead the party unit in the state, Adik has never made any bones about his ambition to occupy the chief minister’s office.

However, both Vora, in charge of Maharashtra, and Chavan, have managed to forge a truce and convince the duo to join hands.

"The talk of tussle between you would stop automatically if you people show unity," said Vora.

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The party chief’s verdict in his favour is a shot in the arm for Deshmukh. Adik on the other hand will have to be content with the state Congress presidentship. Deshmukh had been lobbying hard for the election of Transport Minister Shivajirao Moghe as president of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Commmittee ever since party elections were announced.