Gamang hits out at dissidents

BHUBANESWAR, Nov 30 (PTI) — The Orissa Chief Minister, Mr Giridhar Gamang, today attacked the Congress dissidents demanding his ouster, saying the move would only help the opposition BJP-BJD combine in the state, even as the AICC emissaries, Mr Madhavrao Scindia and Mr Vyalar Ravi began ascertaining the views of party MLAs.

"If anyone is demanding my resignation, he will only further the cause and interests of the opposition BJP-BJD combine," Mr Gamang said.

Claiming that he was not aware of any move to replace him, Mr Gamang said he was not bothered about losing power.

"I have served the state in my own way and if anyone did not like it, I am undone," he said.

Mr Scindia, who along with Mr Ravi, arrived here on what was termed a "political mission," told reporters that he would talk to the party legislators to ascertain their views.

"We have to talk to them and ascertain their sentiments", he said.

Asked whether the high command would go by the sentiments of the legislators, Mr Scindia said, "If the sentiments are high we will have to respond to it".

Replying to a reporter’s remark that Mr Gamang had the confidence of the AICC chief, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, Mr Scindia said, "We all have faith in him. He is a straightforward person".

The crisis in Orissa Congress Legislature Party was sparked off when over 50 of the 81 Congress MLAs asked the party high command to remove Mr Gamang, accusing him of "failing" to hand post-cyclone situation in the state.

The rebel MLAs were supporters of the former Chief Minister Mr J.B. Patnaik, whom Mr Gamang replaced over nine months ago, and party strongman, Mr Basanta Kumar Biswal.

Asked about the rebel MLAs’ move to unseat him, Mr Gamang said he had served the state to the best of his ability for the past nine months in spite of various problems, which included the super cyclone and floods.

"Nobody can raise an accusing finger at my personal integrity", he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Gamang’s visit to Raj Bhavan caused a flutter among the media, with a huge crowd of reporters and television crew assembling as word spread that he had resigned.

The Chief Minister, however, denied that he had resigned, saying he had gone to Raj Bhavan to meet the Delhi Chief Minister, Mrs Shiela Dikshit, who also arrived today.

"Neither have I resigned nor anybody asked me to resign’’, he said.

In Delhi, a Congress spokesman, Mr Ajit Jogi, said there was no revolt by party MLAs in Orissa against Mr Gamang following his "unsatisfactory" handling of relief operations in the cyclone-devastated state.

NEW DELHI (TNS): In view of the elections to the state assembly due next year, a large section of Congress workers were pressing for the removal of Mr Gamang on the grounds that the tardy handling would have its effect on the party’s electoral fortunes.

The party Central leadership, according to sources, prefers that the present arrangement continues till elections with the option of not projecting Mr Gamang as the chief ministerial candidate.

However, the dissident lot is impatient and wants that a change be effected straightaway on the grounds that any delay would only result further erosion of the party base.

The choice in finding a successor is said to be equally limited, as the Congress President may not prefer to give the job back to Mr Patnaik, who was removed by her in the first instance.

The other detractors, like Mr Basant Biswal and Mr K.C. Lenka, were among those who too faced reverses in the recent elections. Mr K. P. Singhdeo, a Lok Sabha MP, is reportedly against the move to replace Mr Gamang or being considered for the job. According to sources, Mr Niranjan Patnaik could emerge as a consensus candidate, if the high command finally succumbs to pressure to replace the incumbent Chief Minister.