Slap in Ranjit Deshmukh’s face — None raise Vidarbha in MPCC meet

Although most of the party MLAs, including Minister of State for Finance Vasudha Deshmukh, DCC presidents, party’s zilla parishad presidents and prominent partymen from Vidarbha were present in the meeting, none of them uttered a single word on the issue. Even the likes of Ashok Dhawad, a hardcore supporter of party MP Vilas Muttemwar — who has joined forces with Ranjit Deshmukh — preferred not to raise Vidarbha.

Talking to this paper after the meeting, Adik ruled out divisions within his party over Vidarbha. “We will wait for Soniaji’s decision (on the issue),” he said.

“All DCC presidents, ZP presidents and MLAs from the region were present in today’s meeting but nobody demanded a debate on the issue,” he said adding, “There are no moves to form a separate Pradesh Congress Committee for Vidarbha. Nobody from our party has submitted any proposal either for granting statehood to Vidarbha or forming a separate PCC for the region to the MPCC.”

In an oblique reference to Ranjit Deshmukh, the MPCC chief said, “Some people are making noises in newspapers only.” Adik felt that the Chief Minister should take a serious note if one of his colleagues (Ranjit Deshmukh) was publicly speaking against him.

In a related development, MPCC general secretary Rajiv Chavan has written a letter to Adik urging him to allow discussion on Vidarbha in the party-forum. “It is necessary for our party to discuss the issue when it has attracted attention of the people from the region,” he noted in the letter.

Meanwhile, the state Congress today finalised the candidature of Sanjivani Gaikwad, wife of late Sanjaysinh Gaikwad, for the by-election in Shahuwadi Assembly constituency in Kolhapur district, he disclosed. The by-election is being held due to death of Sanjaysinh, who was the sitting Congress MLA. The NCP has not communicated to him for contesting the election jointly, he said but pointed out that the latter should leave the seat for Congress.