Mohan Prakash lands in trouble

AICC general secretary Mohan Prakash, who was one of the leading figures behind Congress’ defeats in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, is in trouble. Prakash suffered a setback when he failed to take Rahul Gandhi to Mumbai to inaugurate the foundation day celebrations of the Congress on 28 December. Prakash, the general secretary in charge of Maharashtra, had collected Rs 10 lakh from each Congress minister in the state to celebrate the day, with the promise that Rahul would hoist the party flag. Prakash finally had to settle for Ghulam Nabi Azad. Meanwhile, NCP chief Sharad Pawar has lodged a complaint with the Congress high command against Prakash, accusing him of fielding rebel candidates against his party in Gujarat. Prakash has also been denied a Rajya Sabha ticket from Maharashtra. Sonia Gandhi gave the seat vacated by the death

of Vilasrao Deshmukh to a Maratha lady, Rajni Patil. Prakash was lobbying for the seat. Rajni Patil, who had Shivraj Patil’s backing, was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1996 on a BJP ticket. She was known for her proximity to Pramod Mahajan and Gopinath Munde.