'90 per cent of MLAs unhappy with Deshmukh'

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Revenue Minister Narayan Rane on Friday launched a fresh tirade against Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, saying "90 per cent of party legislators were not happy with Deshmukh's leadership".

Rane, however, said he would not do anything to topple the Deshmukh-led government.

"I fully endorse the views expressed by Congress MLA Rajeev Rajale", Rane told reporters here. Rajale, MLA from Pathardi in Ahmednagar district, has written to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, asking her to replace Deshmukh with Rane.

Over 90 per cent of Congress legislators are of the same view, Rane said. "This is my assessment. Several legislators have told me on phone that they also subscribe to Rajale's view even though they did not sign Rajale's letter", Rane said.

"I will soon meet Congress President and apprise her of the conspiracy to malign me for the unruly incident at the party convention attended by her here on Thursday", Rane, who joined Congress in 2005, said.

Rane refuted media reports that his supporters had created the ruckus before Congress President at on Thursday's meet. He paraded his supporter Bandu Harne from his home turf Kankavli who was named in several newspapers on Friday as being one of the trouble-makers.

Rane said Mumbai Youth Congress chief Sunil Ahire was regularly speaking to Deshmukh's son Amit who was seated with Rane's son Nitesh at the convention. "Ahire was shouting slogans. I am not saying anything more but you can draw your conclusion", he added.

Rane expressed his displeasure over what he termed as 'biased' reporting of the squabble at the Congress convention in a section of the media, particularly in a national daily.

"I can understand who must have directed that the news be written in a particular way", Rane said, adding he had sent a notice to the newspaper.

Rane said in his capacity as Revenue Minister, he passed an order on Friday, directing district collector to take speedy action against organisations who have used land leased from government for commercial purpose in violation of the lease agreement.

Political observers say this is Rane's way of getting at the national daily whose building houses some commercial establishments, including a music store.