Chavan heads back to Mumbai

NEW DELHI - Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, who had offered to resign over the Adarsh housing society scam, left here for Mumbai Monday morning with no decision on his alleged role likely soon, Congress sources said.

Chavan came to Delhi Sunday morning and met with Congress president Sonia Gandhi. The meeting was also attended by Defence Minister A.K. Antony, who is in charge of Maharashtra Congress.

Gandhi had Saturday constituted a two-member team comprising Antony and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to probe the allotment of Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society flats in Mumbai, originally meant for families of soldiers killed in the 1999 Kargil conflict with Pakistan, to politicians, bureaucrats and military officials.

But Mukherjee late Sunday said he and Antony needed more time to look into the controversy.

“I met my colleague Antony and it is not possible for the two of us to take any decision right now…we need more time…we are examining the documents,” Mukherjee told reporters Sunday night after a meeting with Antony. Chavan had not attended the meeting with Pranab Mukherjee.

Party sources said no decision on the matter was likely soon, indicating that any final call may be taken only after Diwali.

The sources added that though the Maharshtra chief minister had gone back to Mumbai, he was likely to return to the national capital to attend the All India Congress Committee session scheduled for Tuesday.