Mumbai: Opposition parties in Maharashtra today welcomed the exit of Vilasrao Deshmukh as Chief Minister, alleging he was a non-performer.

"Deshmukh was non-serious and he was also a non-performer. We are not sad to see him go because of the way he handled Mumbai terror attacks", BJP state unit president Nitin Gadkari said.

Leader of the Opposition in the assembly and senior Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam said Deshmukh's resignation won t do as the entire government had "failed" on all fronts and needed to be dismissed.

"We have already approached President Pratibha Patil demanding President's rule in the state", he said. Asked if Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's views could have influenced the decision to remove Deshmukh, Gadkari said that in a monolith like Congress only opinions of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul count.

There has been a public outcry after the terror attacks and Deshmukh had to go, Gadkari said.

Source : PTI