New Delhi, Oct 04: Maharashtra PCC President Ranjeet Deshmukh today said the party organisation was in no way responsible for the Solapur Lok Sabha debacle but declined to comment whether a "surgery" was needed at the governmental level in view of the bypoll outcome. "No comments", he told reporters after a 30-minute meeting with Congress President Sonia Gandhi when asked whether a surgery was needed at the government level following the party's debacle in the bye-elections necessitated by Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde resigning the seat. Deshmukh said he had presented a "factual report" to Gandhi about the bypoll outcome and the state Congress "cannot be held responsible". While he had himself camped in Solapur for a week, several state ministers and senior leaders like Vayalar Ravi, Shivraj Patil and Mirza Aslam Beig had campaigned. Describing his meeting with Gandhi as "very good", he said he explained to her that a number of factors were responsible for the loss of Solapur Lok Sabha seat.
Asked about the responsibility of the government, he said it was for the AICC to decide.
Bureau Report