Under fire, Kripashankar meets Sonia

Speculation was rife over the change of guard in the Mumbai Congress leadership, after incumbent president Kripashankar Singh met the party president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on Friday.

Speculation was rife over the change of guard in the Mumbai Congress leadership, after incumbent president Kripashankar Singh met the party president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on Friday.

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Singh is under fire, with various groups in the city Congress mounting pressure on the party high command for his removal, for allegedly amassing assets. His name had earlier cropped up in relation to the Madhu Koda case as well.

Inquiries into his assets and those of his family have revealed that certain developers had transferred money to his son Narendra Mohan’s bank accounts. Mohan is a builder and Singh said that these were business transactions. One of the builders, who financed Mohan, is the 2G scam-tainted DB Realty group.

Sources close to Gandhi said that Singh did not tender his resignation on Friday but mentioned that there would be changes in the Mumbai Congress’ leadership very soon.

Groups led by Union ministers Murli Deora and Gurudas Kamat, want their nominees to succeed Singh. From Deora’s camp, names of MP Milind Deora (Murli’s son) and Eknath Gaikwad (Dalit leader and MP) are being suggested. In particular, Milind is believed to be a strong contender. The Kamat group on the other hand wants Amarjit Manas, Chandrakant Handore, a local dalit, or Rajhans Singh to take over. A Marathi legislator from Byculla, Madhu Chavan, is also in the running.