Patnaik quits, race for CM hots up

He had offered to resign from the post owning moral responsibility for the recent series of violence in the state in a letter to Sonia Gandhi on February 8.

Talking to newspersons in his office soon after he resigned, Patnaik informed that the Congress Legislature Party would meet to elect his successor soon. The date for the meeting has not yet been decided. He said that the selection of his successor would be a smooth affair.

Patnaik, who was sworn in as the Chief Minister for the third time on March 15, 1995, said he did not regret his decision to step down. A philosophical Patnaik quoted a shloka from the Ramayana to say that he `sacrificed’ himselffor the benefit of the state and the country.

He said he needed a little rest from his hectic daily schedule and would now be able spare enough time for literature. "I am free now", he said but he is far from retiring from active politics. "It is too early to say that. I have not resigned from MLA-ship", was how he responded to a question on whether he was contemplating to retire from active politics.

He said he has not been offered any top post in the AICC as speculated, nor was he `aspiring’ for one.

Replying to a question he said his resignation would not weaken the party in the state. Congress is strong enough to capture power after the next assembly elections because there is no alternative to it, he added.

Hectic political activity has started in Congress circles here following the resignation of Chief Minister JB Patnaik. Loyalist ministers have started dropping in to the Chief Minister’s secretariat chamber to chalk out their strategy in the CLP meeting where the next leader will beelected.

Meanwhile, the chief ministerial aspirants have started frantic lobbying in their support and holding parleys separately. Some of them including Transport Minister Kanhu Charan Lenka have gone overboard and started contacting MLAs to solicit their support.

President of the Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Hemananda Biswal, who seems to have emerged as the front runner for the post, reached here from his constituency in the afternoon. He, however, said that there is no intimation from AICC so far as to when the CLP would meet to elect a new leader. Others in the race for the chief minister’s post are former Union Minister Giridhar Gomang, Deputy Chief Minister Basant Kumar Biswal, Rural Development Minister Matlub Ali and Revenue Minister Jagannath Patnaik.

After having offered to quit during his visit to Delhi last Monday, Patnaik’s future as Chief Minister continued to hang in balance as a majority of MLAs and ministers wanted him to continue.

A signature campaign was launched by theloyalists and request letters faxed to the AICC president urging her not to accept Patnaik’s resignation in the interest of the party. Loyalists of the chief minister who wanted to put up a fight before giving in preferred to lie low after the Chief Minister himself dissuaded some ministers and MLAs from precipitating the issue.

The loyalists also dropped their idea to visit Delhi to urge Sonia Gandhi not to accept the chief minister’s resignation after Patnaik himself disapproved of the idea.