No rethink on removing Deshmukh, indicates Congress

The Congress today indicated that the change of guard in Maharashtra was inevitable in keeping with the principle of accountability of public office, but the delay in removing Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh was only because of the ongoing consultation process.

''The Principle of accountability laid down by AICC chief Sonia Gandhi in the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Saturday stands and will be applied across the board,'' AICC Spokesman Manish Tewari told mediapersons.

''Let the consultation process come to a logical conclusion,'' he said replying to a question if Mr Deshmukh was quitting owning moral responsibility for the 26/11 attacks, in which about 200 people were killed and nearly 300 wounded.

In reply to another question, Mr Tewari said Mr Deshmukh offered to resign at the CWC meeting and reiterated his stand last night after meeting the Party President.

''The process of discussion is on. It is not appropriate to speculate things,'' he underlined.

Asked why the Congress did not condemn Mr Deshmukh's "Terror Tour" of the damaged Taj Heritage on Sunday with his actor son Riteish and film producer Ram Gopal Varma, he said whether it was done advertently or inadvertently, it was highly avoidable.

He, however, disagreed with a reporter that Mr Deshmukh's conduct was the same as that of the disparaging remarks of Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan against the family of slain NSG commando Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan.

-- (UNI) -- 03DI39.xml

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