Malegaon: Cong. unhappy with CM

By Javed M. Ansari

NEW DELHI NOV. 6. A three-member fact-finding team dispatched by the Congress president, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, to Malegaon, is likely to submit its report to her tomorrow.

Comprising the CWC members, Mr. Motilal Vora, Mr. Oscar Fernandes and Mr. Ahmad Patel, the team met the Maharashtra Chief Minister, Mr. Vilasrao Deshmukh, on November 3 and apprised him of its findings.

The contents of the report are not known, but the members demanded a judicial probe into the incident at the town itself, and compensation to those affected in the violence.

The beleaguered Mr. Deshmukh, has swiftly acted on both fronts. He has already ordered a judicial probe and plans to visit Malegaon on November 8, along with senior bank officials to provide financial assistance.

The Congress leadership is reported to be unhappy with the manner in which the Malegaon situation was allowed to get out of control and also with the fact that Ms. Gandhi ``was not allowed to visit the area on October 29''. What appears to have particularly irked the leadership is the State Government's ``lethargic response'' in dealing with the situation and the ``seeming reluctance'' to act against the erring policemen.

The Congress is working hard to re-establish its credentials among the minorities, and has been citing the example of the States under its control where the minorities feel secure. The leadership is worried that Malegaon, coming as it does in the run-up to the Uttar Pradesh elections, will be used by its opponents.

Mr. Deshmukh on Monday sent the Deputy Home Minister, Mr. Kripshankar Singh, to explain the Government's case to Ms. Gandhi. He is reported to have told her that Mr. Deshmukh could not visit the area immediately because he was busy trying to prevent the riots from spreading to Bhiwandi and Aurangabad.

Anthrax scare

UNI reports from Nasik:

Malegaon was gripped by Anthrax scare on Monday, as three envelopes containing a white powdery substance, were received at the Malegaon Head Post Office.

Police said the envelopes, addressed to three students and posted from Canada, would be sent to the Haffkine Institute in Mumbai for chemical analysis.

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