Prospects of a patch-up between suspended Congress leader Narayan Rane and the party brightened on Monday with the former Maharashtra Chief Minister likely to meet AICC president Sonia Gandhi here in the next few days.
Prospects of a patch-up between suspended Congress leader Narayan Rane and the party brightened on Monday with the former Maharashtra Chief Minister likely to meet AICC president Sonia Gandhi here in the next few days.
"I have plans to meet Sonia Gandhi and the meeting could take place in the next 2-3 days," Rane said from Mumbai, adding he planned to go to Kolhapur on Tuesday for a function after which he would be visiting Delhi.
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Rane's remarks came close on the heels of Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan holding a closed-door meeting with him in Mumbai in a bid to patch-up with the estranged leader earlier in the day.
The statement by Rane, who had launched a scathing attack on Congress leadership after losing to Chavan the race for chief ministership, came a day before he was to announce his course of action in Mumbai amid indications last week that the rebel leader was in no mood to compromise and could quit the party.
After the nearly hour-long meeting with Chavan, Rane called of a scheduled press conference on Tuesday.
"The scheduled press conference on Tuesday by Rane to announce his future plans has been postponed," a statement issued from his office said.
Rane, who joined Congress from Shiv Sena a few years ago, was suspended from the party for making anti-party remarks in the wake of his losing the race for Chief Ministership.
The 57-year-old leader from the Konkan region had even taken pot shots at Sonia Gandhi after Chavan's election and had targeted the new Chief Minister as also his predecessor Vilasrao Deshmukh.
Chavan, who met Rane this morning, left for Delhi to attend the Chief Ministers' meeting convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The Rane issue is likely to figure during Chavan's meeting with the party leadership in Delhi. Rane may be accommodated in the state cabinet or may find a place in the AICC set-up, party sources in Mumbai said.
Rane's aides said the meeting between the Chief Minister and Rane was held at the behest of Chavan who took the initiative to work for a patch-up.
Congress sources said Rane was an important leader for the party to strengthen itself in Konkan region which has gained importance post-delimitation as Konkan, Thane and Mumbai belt account of 72 Assembly seats out of the total 289.
Congress and Rane need each other in an election year, the sources said.u00a0
Meanwhile, PCC chief Manikrao Thakre said Rane was free to remain in the party irrespective of personal differences.
"His personal differences with different state unit leaders don't matter if he has faith in the leadership of Sonia Gandhi," Thakre said.
He also downplayed the meeting between Ashok Chavan and Rane earlier in the day.
"Even though he is suspended, Rane is a Congress MLA and there is no harm in the Chief Minister meeting him," Thakre said.
Thakre's remarks are in stark contrast to his earlier demand for a public apology from Rane for speaking out against party leaders.
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