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Rane to meet party high command in Delhi today

Special Correspondent

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Revenue Minister Narayan Rane, who has threatened to quit the Cabinet, will meet the Congress high command in New Delhi on Thursday and make his position clear after that. Mr. Rane told journalists in Nagpur that he would not say whether he was going to submit his resignation from the party or not. He said he was upset at the functioning of the Vilasrao Deshmukh government.

On Tuesday, he threatened to quit over a Cabinet decision to allot 100 hectares at Navi Mumbai to Videocon for an LCD unit. Since Wednesday morning, there had been speculation on TV channels that Mr. Rane resigned. He denied such claims and said he needed time till Thursday.

He hit out at the Chief Minister for allegedly favouring powerful industry houses.

Patangrao Kadam, acting president of the Pradesh Congress Committee president, told journalists here that party leader Margaret Alva called him up after hearing about Mr. Rane’s threat.

Mr. Kadam met Mr. Rane and also spoke to Mr. Deshmukh . Mr. Kadam said Mr. Rane had every right to dissent but the decision to allot land to Videocon Industries was consensual. He said he had advised Mr. Rane not to do anything hastily.

BJP State president Nitin Gadkari alleged that the government was putting everything on sale.“If Videocon wanted land, why can’t the government allot it in Vidarbha and other backward areas? Why give a plot in a residential area to industry at such low rates?”

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