Prasada gets tacit support from CM’s right-hand man

According to party sources, Ratnesh Singh, a Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC)delegate, has caused a lot of embarrassment at the senior party level in the state by endorsing Prasada’s candidature.

Singh is considered Kripashankar’s right-hand man in Congress circles and is the only Congressman from Maharashtra to have signed the rebel leader’s nomination. The endorsement is seen as tacit support for Prasada from a person close to the Chief Minister.

Ironically, Kripashankar’s photographs along with the Chief Minister and Sonia Gandhi, taken at the time her nominations were filed, appeared in some newspapers in the city today.

Sources said Kripashankar’s Uttar Pradesh connection (the minister hails from Jaunpur in UP) is the reason behind his tacit support to the Congress rebel. Kripashankar had met Prasada during his visits to the city in June and August last. The minister’s supporters had also arranged a Mumbai visit for Prasada’s close confidante, UP MLA Puttu Awasthi, last month.

Ratnesh Singh’s name was a topic of hot discussion in Tilak Bhavan, the headquarters of the state Congress, on Monday after a senior party MP from Vidarbha called up officebearers in Delhi and inquired about the whereabouts of the PCC delegate. Ratnesh Singh was in Locknow on Monday.

Since Kripa is considered close to Chief Minister Deshmukh, the latter may find himself made the target of any criticism that the issue sparks off. Deshmukh’s detractors led by state Congress President Govindrao Adik have been waiting for such opportunities for some time, sources said.

But moves are on to nip the rebellion in the bud in the state Congress.

Subhash Kanade, president of Thane City Congress Committee, from where Ratnesh Singh, has been elected to the state body said he had expelled him from the party on Sunday for anti-party activities.

But the state unit president Adik feigned ignorance about the development."Ours is a democratic party and any eligible partymen is free to contest internal elections," he said. However, the local unit of the party might have taken the decision on its own, he added. "I know he has been nominated to the PCC by Kripashankar Singh," he said.