Alva to hold talks with Rane to end crisis

New Delhi, Aug 7 (UNI) Congress President Sonia Gandhi has directed AICC General Secretary Margaret Alva to talk to Maharashtra Revenue Minister Narayan Rane and other leaders in a bid to end the brewing crisis in the state unit of the Party.

''He (Mr Rane) is coming to Delhi today. I will talk to him and find out what he wants,'' Ms Alva, who is in charge of Party affairs in the faction-ridden Maharashtra unit, told mediapersons, in response to a query regarding the rumours about the resignation of Mr Rane from the Vilasrao Deshmukh cabinet on the issue of allotment of land to Videocon for an LCD manufacturing unit.

She spoke to newsmen at a lunch hosted for mediapersons by AICC General Secretary in charge of Media Veerappa Moily at his Tuqlak lane residence.

Ms Alva said he would also hold discussion with other leaders in a bid to find a solution to the crisis. ''I will talk to Acting PCC Chief Patangrao Kadam, who is also arriving here today.'' She, however, said a final decision on what was to be done would be taken by Ms Gandhi after her return from Beijing on August ten.

Ms Gandhi left here for Beijing early today to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

AICC sources told UNI that Mr Rane had not sent any fresh resignation letter to Ms Gandhi recently. ''In fact, Mr Rane had sent a letter of resignation once earlier and the same is pending with Ms Gandhi since then.'' It is learnt that Mr Rane would meet Ms Alva tonight and make his position clear on different issues on which he differed with Chief Minister Deshmukh.

On Tuesday, Mr Rane threatened to quit over a Cabinet decision to allot 100 hectares at Navi Mumbai to Videocon for an LCD unit.

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

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