Disgruntled Congress Minister Narayan Rane signalled a rebellion against the party on Thursday by announcing that he would quit as Industries Minister on Monday.
“I will resign from the post but will remain in the party. I will announce my future plans on Monday,” Mr. Rane told reporters. The news about his impending resignation leaked after he thanked officials at a departmental meeting and told them he would no longer be Industries Minister beginning early next week.
The move could be precursor to a parting of ways with the party, sources say. With State Assembly polls due in three months, this will prove to be a setback to the Congress.
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Mr. Rane is set to leave for his home constituency in the Konkan’s Sindhudurg district for a series of rallies with his supporters on the weekend. When asked whether he would hold talks with the party high command or Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan before resigning, Mr. Rane said, “I have taken my decision. I will not be talking to anyone.”
Mr. Rane, a known rival of the Chief Minister has been pushing hard for his replacement since the party’s debacle in the Lok Sabha polls. However, after the party backed Mr. Chavan, Mr. Rane saw few options for himself, sources say.
The Minister had already resigned from his post once earlier in May after his son Nilesh lost the Lok Sabha poll from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg. However, his resignation was not accepted. Mr. Rane denied that his plans to resign now were a pressure tactic.
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He also clarified that he was not in talks with the Bhartiya Janata Party. “I had met Union Gadkari after Gopinath Munde’s death. That was all,” he said.
If Mr. Rane leaves the Congress, this will weaken the party especially in the Konkan region where the Minister has a base. Mr. Rane who was earlier in the Shiv Sena, had served as Chief Minister in the Shiv Sena-BJP government. When switched to the Congress in 2005 he had brought several Shiv Sena MLAs from the Konkan into the Congess fold. His hold has shrunk in recent years but within the Congress, he remains the strongest leader from the Konkan region.