NCP backs Rahul’s stand on reconsideration of Adarsh report

NCP on Monday backed Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s pitch for reconsideration of Maharashtra government’s decision rejecting a judicial panel’s report on Adarsh scam which had indicted some senior Congress leaders, including former Chief Ministers.

“We will support any decision to review the state cabinet’s decision. The decision to reject the report was apparently taken in a haste….It was not proper to reject the commission’s report. There is a need to review it,” NCP MP and senior party leader Tariq Anwar told PTI.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi had on Saturday indicated that the Maharashtra government would reconsider its decision to reject a judicial commission’s report on Adarsh housing scam, a day after Mr. Rahul Gandhi ticked off the state government over the issue.

Disapproving of the Maharashtra government’s decision to reject the report, Mr. Rahul Gandhi had said on Friday, “Personally, I don’t agree with that decision. They (Maharashtra) should reconsider that”.

The very next day when asked about the rejection of the Adarsh scam report by the Maharashtra Cabinet, Ms. Sonia Gandhi had said, “That has been decided….and I think it is going to be resolved.”

Noting that the Congress high command has instructed its leadership in the state to review the decision, the NCP leader said that “it’s a right decision (to review the report). The line taken by the Congress vice-president is very correct that it should be reconsidered.”

Mr. Anwar also recalled that Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has already said that he will consult his cabinet colleagues on the matter. “A meeting of Maharasthra Cabinet is going to be held to take up the matter,” he said.

Congress and NCP have an alliance government in Maharashtra which is headed by Congress’ Chavan.

The report of the two-member commission headed by retired high court judge J.A. Patil has indicted several politicians including three former Chief Ministers for “blatant violations” of statutory provisions in the Adarsh housing project.

On December 20, the Maharashtra government had rejected the report.