Chhattisgarh Governor Shekhar Dutt resigns, BJP denies governors told to go

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: While the suspense over the fate of several governors continued as they showed no sign of stepping down voluntarily, Chhattisgarh Governor Shekhar Dutt tendered his resignation on Wednesday. The BJP has, however, denied that governors appointed by the previous government had been told to go. Dutt submitted his resignation to President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday, a day after Uttar Pradesh Governor BL Joshi quit on Tuesday amidst NDA`s pressure on UPA-appointed governors to exit Raj Bhavan. But it was not immediately clear if the resignation had been accepted. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party clarified on Thursday that no governor had been asked to quit. "No governor has been asked to resign. The way the Congress party is trying to politicise the issue is not in good taste," BJP`s Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told the media here. Assam Governor JB Patnaik, meanwhile, said he was not resigning from his post. "How many times I have to say that I am not resigning?" Patnaik told the media after meeting Home Minister Rajnath Singh here. "I did not have any talks about resigning. The meeting with the minister was not on (this) issue," he said. The opposition has hit out at the Narendra Modi government amid persisting speculation that governors appointed by the Congress-led regime have been asked to put in their papers. Dutt`s resignation came as a surprise to most people in Chhattisgarh as he was reportedly not under any pressure to quit. The former defence secretary is also said to enjoy good relations with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh. Despite Joshi`s resignation and Dutt`s reported exit, some governors have showed no signs of stepping down. While Kerala Governor Sheila Dikshit on Wednesday evaded questions on her next move, her West Bengal counterpart MK Narayanan said resignation was not on his mind. Former National Security Advisor Narayanan and former Delhi chief minister Dikshit are among the governors who, media reports say, have been asked by Home Secretary Anil Goswami to quit. Governors HR Bhardwaj (Karnataka), Kamla Beniwal (Gujarat), Margaret Alva (Rajasthan) and K Sankaranarayanan (Maharashtra) are also said to be on the government`s list of those it wants out of Raj Bhavans. (With IANS inputs)