Biswal to be new Orissa CM
Swearing-in likely today

BHUBANESWAR, Dec 5 (PTI) — Mr Hemananda Biswal, who was elected new leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in Orissa today, is likely to be sworn-in as the state’s 16th Chief Minister tomorrow.

The 60-year-old tribal leader from western Orissa, who will be replacing Mr Giridhar Gamang, will be administered the oath of office by state Governor M.M. Rajendran.

State PCC President Biswal will be occupying the top seat for the second time exactly after a decade.

His name, nominated to succeed Mr Gamang by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi after a resolution was passed authorising her to do so, was proposed at the CLP meeting by the outgoing leader and seconded by former Chief Minister J.B. Patnaik.

All three AICC emissaries — Mr Motilal Vora, Mr Vayalar Ravi and Mr Ramesh Chennithala — here for the past three days in a bid to resolve the crisis emanating from the revolt by a section of the party at the inept handling of the post-cyclone situation, were present at the meeting.

Although Mr Vora announced that Mr Biswal’s election was unanimous, a flutter was created when party MLA Bibhudendra Pratap Das walked out of the meeting in a huff protesting against the imposition of the leader on them by the high command.

Mr Biswal had become Chief Minister for the first time when he replaced Mr Patnaik on December 7, 1989, and remained at the helm of affairs for about three months.

As soon as the meeting commenced last night, the legislators observed two minutes’ silence in memory of about 10,000 persons killed in the supercyclone after which Mr Gamang announced his decision to step down as CLP leader,

The meeting then passed a resolution authorising Ms Gandhi to nominate a new CLP leader.

After the chosen name was conveyed to the Congress emissaries, the same was proposed by Mr Gamang and seconded by Mr Patnaik.

Party sources said the choice of Mr Biswal as the new leader was surprising as the PCC chief had all through the week-long crisis opposed any change in leadership at the present juncture.

Mr Biswal then addressed the MLAs seeking their cooperation while Mr Gamang thanked the legislators for the cooperation he had received during his brief nine-month-long tenure.

As he emerged from the meeting, Mr Biswal told reporters that good governance and relief and restoration work in the cyclone devastated areas would be his topmost priority as Chief Minister.

Former Chief Minister Patnaik and senior leader Basant Kumar Biswal, who were aspirants for the top post, said they were happy at the turn of events.

The CLP meeting also adopted a resolution demanding that the cyclone devastation in Orissa be declared a national calamity by the Centre.

The irate party MLA Bibhudendra Pratap Das, who stormed out of the meeting, told reporters that he had walked off because his demand for election of the new leader through a secret ballot was not accepted.

"Though I respect the Congress President, I cannot accept imposition of anyone on the party unit by the high command,’’ he said.

UNI adds: Orissa Chief Minister Giridhar Gamang will submit his resignation to Governor M.M. Rajendran tonight.

Mr Gamang, who resigned as the CLP leader this noon, had sought an appointment with the Governor, now in Delhi, to submit his resignation.

Official sources said the Governor would arrive here tonight at 9 p.m., and that the Chief Minister had fixed an appointment with the Governor at 10.00 p.m. to tender his resignation.

Tough task ahead for Biswal
From K.V. Prasad
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Dec 5 — The Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi finally moved in to replace the Chief Minister of Orissa, Mr Girdhar Gamang whom she had picked up to lead the state to the polls just a little over nine months ago.

While the super-cyclone created havoc and heaped misery on people, it also swept away Mr Gamang who held the trump card of being a tribal leader with all-round acceptability when he was installed earlier this year.

When the acceptability factor plummeted, Mr Gamang played the last card of leaving the decision of his continuance in office to the Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi.

In the process he cold-shouldered the AICC observer and General Secretary Mr Madhavrao Scinida on the ground that he was appointed Chief Minister by the Congress President and only she could decide his future. He reportedly put in his papers after meeting in Delhi last week.

According to party sources, while Mr Gamang had left the decision to Mrs Sonia Gandhi, he also hoped to survive knowing the dilemma the party’s central leadership was facing on how to remove a tribal Chief Minister that too in election year.

The sources said Mr Gamang put up a stiff resistance till he was told by Mr Motilal Vora, leader of the second batch of AICC observers, that his resignation would be made public if he did not make way for a smooth transition.

After the manner in which Mr Gamang had expressed no confidence in the earlier team of observers led by Mr Scindia, Congress President had despatched Mr Motilal Vora, along with Mr Vylar Ravi and Mr Ramesh Chennithala to assess the mood of the party legislators in Orissa.

Coincidentally the man chosen to replace Mr Gamang is Mr Hemananda Biswal, a 60-year-old tribal who got the job earlier too and in similar circumstances a decade ago.

Mr Biswal had then replaced Mr J B Patnaik and remained at the helm for nearly three months, a tenure he is likely to get this time too as the state is scheduled to go to Assembly polls earlier next year.

Last time, it was the turn of the late Biju Patnaik to come back to power in Orissa. With him not around, the task to carry forward the job will now rest with his son and Union Minister, Mr Naveen Patnaik.

The task before the Congress and its new leader is onerous. For one, the new Chief Minister has to get cracking to smoothen the relief and rehabilitation work which had taken a backseat during the political battle in Bhubaneswar and then prepare for the impending state elections carrying with him all factions.

If one takes into account the results of the Lok Sabha poll, the Congress will have to put in Herculean efforts to retain power in the state.

In the Lok Sabha poll, the Congress managed to win just two of the 21 seats with the Biju Janata Dal bagging 10 and its electoral ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party taking 9. And these results were before the super cyclone.

The manner in which the government handled the relief and rescue operations created a political storm which uprooted the Chief Minister and it remains to be seen if the party too would suffer a similar fate.

The party MLAs had revolted against Mr Gamang fearing that his continuation would spell doom for the Congress at the hustings. There was an apprehension among the central leadership that if due respect was not given to the MLAs' sentiments, then Orissa may also go the Goa way.

According to the party sources, there were signs of trouble in Goa, where the Congress formed a government with absolute majority but the party’s central leadership chose to look the other way which resulted in the loss of a government elected to office just five months ago.