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Patnaik submits resignation to Orissa governor

Debi Patnaik in Bhubaneswar

Orissa Chief Minister Janaki Ballab Patnaik met Governor Dr Chakravarty Rangarajan on Friday morning and submitted his resignation.

Patnaik rushed to Raj Bhavan at 1045 hours to hand over his resignation after a telephonic discussion with Congress president Sonia Gandhi. He assumed office in March 1995 and served three terms and 14 years as chief ministers since January 1980.

The governor, accepting the resignation, asked him to continue till a new leader of the Congress Legislature Party was elected.

Patnaik had submitted his resignation to party president Sonia on Monday owning moral responsibility for the violent incidents, including attacks on Christians in the state.

On his arrival from Delhi on Tuesday, Patnaik made it clear that it was up to Sonia to take a decision on his resignation. He said he would not withdraw his resignation, but his supporters launched a signature campaign drive to persuade Sonia not to accept it.

Patnaik said he had spoken to Sonia on Friday morning and he tendered his resignation to the governor on her advice.

The chief minister did not cite any reason in his letter submitted to the govenor.

Patnaik told journalists he had no regrets about resigning as chief minister, "keeping in mind the high tradition of moral values of the Congress."

But his resignation this morning came as a surprise to many Oriya leaders, including his loyalist ministers and MLAs.

This is the second time during 14 years as chief minister that Patnaik has resigned on moral grounds.

In November 1989, he resigned after the Congress was routed in the state in that winter's general election. The Janata Dal-Left combine then captured 18 of the state's 21 Lok Sabha seats.

This time, 16 of Patnaik's ministers submitted a petition to Sonia, urging her not to accept the chief minister's resignation. They felt a change in leadership would not be in the Congress's interests, especially when an assembly election was scheduled at the year end in the state.

But some senior Congress leaders took exception to the move and said any attempt to put pressure on Sonia would backfire on Patnaik.

Patnaik's loyalists and Congress MLAs -- about 35 of them -- decided to go to Delhi on Thursday to petition Sonia, but the chief minister forbade them to do so. He said he did not believe in pressure tactics.

UNI

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