BHUBANESWAR, FEB 10: Several ministers and Congress MLAs from Orissa are planning to go to New Delhi to urge party president Sonia Gandhi not to accept the resignation of chief minister JB Patnaik.A decision to this effect is understood to have been taken at a meeting of ministers and party MLAs held at the residence of forest minister Kishore Chandra Patel on Wednesday. The Patnaik supporters are likely to rush to Delhi on Thursday.At the meeting the Patnaik supporters lashed out at the dissidents for trying to create problem in the Congress. `The dissidents do not enjoy support either in the organisation or the legislature party', a prominent Patnaik supporter told The New Indian Express.The mood at the meeting was belligerent with the Patnaik loyalists deciding not to give up without a fight. They have begun separate signature campaigns among the MLAs and ministers to urge party president Sonia Gandhi not to accept Patnaik's resignation. The loyalist camp claimed that 54 MLAs and 14 ministers have signed the memoranda urging Sonia not to accept Patnaik's resignation.They maintain that the majority of Congressmen still favour the continuance of Patnaik as Chief Minister and this would be conveyed to the observers of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) during their visit to Bhubaneswar.The signature campaign among the MLAs is apparently to show the high command that the Chief Minister still enjoys a large support in the legislature party. A majority of the MLAs have already reached Bhubaneswar anticipating an emergent meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP). However, the date of the CLP is yet to be finalised. The district presidents are also being summoned to Bhubaneswar.In a statement, 14 loyalist MLAs have lashed out at the dissidents for trying to rejuvenate the BJP in Orissa by creating trouble in the Congress. The MLAs maintained that the morale of the BJP was its lowest ebb following its defeat in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi assembly polls.At a time when the Congress in the state was in the process of strengthening itself further `a senior leader' of the state Congress provided money and gave encouragement to BJP to fulfil his personal ambition, they alleged.If the resignation of the chief minister is accepted or he remains firm in his offer of resignation than it should be presumed that the Congress surrendered itself before a small group in the party working against its interest, they maintained and urged Sonia not to accept Patnaik's resignation.Meanwhile, the Chief Minister went on with usual official business amidst the political turmoil in the State. He attended a high-level meeting with the eleventh Finance Commission in the State Secretariat here on Wednesday.However, the dissidents are maintaining a low profile following the veiled warning by the high command that Patnaik's resignation should not be construed as the victory of any faction. It is also closely monitoring the activities of the dissidents.President of the Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Hemananda Biswal continues to be tight-lipped about the developments. Biswal told The Indian Express that the decision regarding the next Chief Minister will only be taken by the high command.
