BHUBANESWAR, March 23: Chief Minister J B Patnaik today asserted in the Orissa Assembly that there was no crisis in his three-year-old government and no minister had tendered his resignation in a `proper manner'. Making a statement during zero hour, the Chief Minister described the resignation drama as `storm in the tea cup' and said that his ministry was in full charge. Allaying members' fears, Patnaik said that no constitutional crisis had developed and the ministry and government were functioning.The Chief Minister said that if any minister had resigned, he would have announced it in the assembly as it was in session. ``I have done no such thing as no minister has resigned,'' he added. Repeatedly asserting that there was no crisis in the government, the Chief Minister blamed the media for creating a crisis. He, however, admitted that the poll debacle was discussed in the meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP).However, the Deputy Chief Minister Hemananda Biswal struck a different note.Admitting that a consensus decision was taken at the meeting of the CLP for tendering resignation to the Chief Minister for activating the Congress organisation and the government after the poll debacle, Biswal said that ``we have given it in writing to the Chief Minister''.The secretary of the CLP Ganeswar Behera also admitted that a decision was taken at the meeting for the resignation of the ministers to give the Chief Minister a free hand. The issue cropped up when several opposition members demanded a statement from the Chief Minister on the matter. As soon as the zero hour began, Janata Dal member Ranendra Pratap Swain referred to the resignation drama and demanded that the Chief Minister should clarify the situation. Swain wanted to know why the Chief Minister called on the Governor.Biswabhusan Harichandan (BJP) and Trilochan Kanungo (BJD) alleged that a constitutional crisis had developed because of the resignation of the ministers. Dal leader Ashok Das wanted the Chief Minister to make astatement to clarify the situation.Several Congress members, including Minister of State for Excise Suresh Kumar Routray and Ganeswar Behera, maintained that the development was an internal matter of the Congress and there was no scope for discussion in the house. But the leader of the opposition Ramakrushna Patnaik and Janata Dal leader Narasingh Mishra maintained that there was a constitutional crisis and the Chief Minister should clarify the issue.
