Friday, December 9 2005 09:48 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: Congress loyalists, who stood by the party in 1977 when the Indira Gandhi-led Government was ousted post-Emergency, have demanded their pound of flesh in the appointments in State Government boards and corporations.

Former MPCC chief and himself a Congress loyalist, Ranjit Deshmukh yesterday (Dec 8,2005) demanded that at least 50 per cent appointments of the boards and corporations should go to Congress loyalists and added that party loyalists were unhappy with the treatment being met to them now.

The State Government is yet to appoint heads of at least 40 Government Boards and corporations, many of whom have the state of cabinet and state ministers.

Speaking to reporters here, yesterday, Deshmukh said that a meeting of Congress loyalists will be held at Nagpur on December 12, where All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary and in-charge of party affairs for Maharashtra, Margaret Alva, chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and MPCC chief Prabha Rau have been invited.

He said that the move to bring party loyalists on a common platform was not aimed against anybody, but to bring them together and have consensus on various issues.

Deshmukh said that while workers and supporters of Revenue minister Narayan Rane, who switched over to Congress in July this year, were getting prominence within the party, it should also be ensured that party loyalists are not relegated or injustice met to them.