Adarsh scam: Congress President accepts Chavan's resignation

NDTV Correspondent, 

Updated: November 09, 2010 10:44 IST

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New Delhi:  Congress President Sonia Gandhi has accepted Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan's resignation over the Adarsh Housing Society scam.

Action has come swiftly after the three-day hiatus provided by the Barack Obama visit. 
Chavan had offered to resign some days ago, and an inquiry committee comprising AK Antony and Pranab Mukherjee was looking into his alleged role in the scam. Sources said Chavan's explanation did not convince the top Congress leadership and based on the panel's report, his resignation was accepted. 

As the scam was uncovered last month, three of the Chief Minister's relatives, including his mother-in-law, were reportedly found to have flats in the society, which was meant for war widows and veterans. All three surrendered flat ownership.

Party sources are at pains to point out that accepting the resignation does not mean that Chavan is guilty. 

The next question is: Who shall step into Chavan's shoes? Vilasrao Deshmukh, the man whom Chavan replaced, also has alleged connections with clearances for the society.
The Congress' Maharashtra observer will be travelling to the state to discuss with MLAs who should be the next CM. Three names are doing the rounds, that of Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Prithvi Raj Chavan, and Vikhe Patil. 
 
Some reports link Shinde to the Adarsh society scam, but no direct link has emerged. 

The Congress decision has come came ahead of the winter session of Parliament starting today and is obviously designed to take the sting out of a combined Opposition's plans to put the government on the mat over the scam. 
 
The names of several leading politicians, ex-defence chiefs and top bureaucrats have emerged in the scandal.
(ndtv)

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Commonwealth Games scam: 

Congress sacks Suresh Kalmadi

Agencies

Posted: Tue Nov 09 2010, 10:12 hrs======================================================================
New Delhi:

Congress axed Suresh Kalmadi as secretary of its Parliamentary Party, seeking to distance itself from the Organising Committee Chairman of the Commonwealth Games in the wake of allegations of corruption.

"Suresh Kalmadi's resignation as Secretary of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) has been accepted with immediate effect," AICC General Secretary Janardhan Dwivedi said.

Party sources said Kalmadi had been asked to put in his papers as CPP Secretary earlier. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi is the Chairperson of the CPP.

The decision by Gandhi came on the opening day of the Winter Session of Parliament in which opposition had threatened to raise the issue of alleged corruption in the Games-related projects.

Kalmadi, a Congress member of Lok Sabha from Pune, was the Chairman of Organising Committee of the sporting event which concluded last month.Soon after the completion of the Games, Congress had left Kalmadi to fend for himself declining to give a clean chit to him or others associated with organisation of the Games.

Sports Minister M S Gill, Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit were among others involved in the preparations for the Games.

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