I’ll quit PCC chief’s post at the earliest, says J B Patnaik

The issue of “one man, one post” has come to the fore here again, following the debacle of the Congress in the Lok Sabha polls and initiatives launched by new party chief Sonia Gandhi to revitalise the party. Reports from New Delhi after the All India Congress Committee (AICC) session held on April 6 had suggested that former Union minister Giridhar Gomango was slated to take over from Patnaik as OPCC chief.

The Chief Minister refused to divulge whether the organisational status of the Orissa Congress after the poll debacle hadcropped up in the AICC meet. He, however, said that he had discussed organisational matters with Sonia Gandhi.

Asked whether he would prefer to head the party or the Government in future, Patnaik was noncommittal.

He also parried questions about a Cabinet reshuffle. While admitting that some of the ministers had resigned at the CLP meeting, he said there was no political crisis in the State.

The Chief Minister also said that he had pleaded with the new Bharatiya Janata Party-led Government at the Centre to fully compensate the loss of Rs 2100 crore sustained by the State because of the award of the 10th Finance Commission.

He said that while the Ninth Finance Commission had awarded 5.2 per cent of the national pool in favour of Orissa, the 10th Finance Commission had done a “grave injustice to the State by bringing down the percentage to 4.28.”Patnaik added that although the P V Narasimha Rao Government was sympathetic to the State’s demand for compensating the loss, nothing was done while the I KGujral Government ignored the State’s pleas.