Maharashtra chief minister offers to resign, deputy quits

Maharashtra chief minister offers to resign, deputy quitsNew Delhi  - Maharashtra state Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh offered to resign while his deputy RR Patil, who also held the state's Home Ministry portfolio, stepped down Monday as political heads started rolling in the aftermath of the Mumbai terrorist attacks.

A three-day terrorist siege of India's financial hub and capital of Maharashtra state ended Saturday after 188 people, including 30

foreigners, had died.

Deshmukh, who belongs to the Congress Party, told reporters that he informed the party leadership of his intention to resign if they deemed it appropriate.

Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi held consultations with senior colleagues in the Indian capital on the matter.

"I can only say that the Maharashtra chief minister has offered to resign. A coalition government is there and we have to consult allies. Consultations are on. At this point, I cannot say anything," Defence Minister AK Antony was quoted as saying by PTI news agency after the meeting.

Congress Party sources said there were some differences over who should succeed Deshmukh and a replacement was likely to be named in a day or two.

The Maharashtra government is run by a coalition of the Congress Party, which also leads India's ruling alliance, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), a breakaway faction.

Deshmukh, who was criticized for taking his actor son Ritesh Deshmukh and well-known film director Ram Gopal Verma on his trip to inspect the damage at the Taj hotel on Sunday, said he had done nothing wrong at a press briefing in Mumbai.

"Ram Gopal Verma is not a terrorist," he said.

Deputy Chief Minister Patil, a member of the NCP, succumbed to pressure to resign after he had described the Mumbai terror attack as a "minor incident."

"I have submitted my resignation letter to Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. I have gone by my conscience and decided to take this step," Patil was quoted as saying by NDTV television network Monday.

Patil had told reporters on Saturday that, "in a big city such as Mumbai, incidents like these keep happening."

The deputy chief minister's resignation follows that of Shivraj Patil, who resigned from the post of federal home minister on Sunday.

Finance Minister P Chidambaram was switched to the Home Ministry, and Prime Minister Singh assumed the finance portfolio himself.

Both the Patils' resignations come on the heels of increasing evidence that prior intelligence on a possible attack on Mumbai had not been effectively investigated.

In both the federal government and in Maharashtra state, the home portfolio includes internal security and the minister is in charge of police and intelligence. (dpa)

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