No discussion on resignation with Rajnath Singh: Assam Governor JB Patnaik

Against the backdrop of the NDA government nudging some governors appointed by the previous UPA regime to demit office, Assam Governor JB Patnaik today dismissed talk of him resigning and said there was no discussion on the matter during his meeting with Home Minister Rajnath Singh. 

"How many times will I have to say that I am not resigning. There was no talk about my resignation. I have come to wish the new Home Minister," Patnaik told reporters after his 15-minute meeting with Singh here at North Block. Patnaik had yesterday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. There were rumours that Patnaik had resigned after meeting President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday. He, however, had shot down those rumours.

Patnaik, a former Congress Chief Minister of Odisha, had said that the President was his friend and meeting him did not mean he was resigning from the post of Assam governor. Patnaik is meeting top government functionaries at a time when the NDA government is believed to have sounded out some governors about resigning.

Governor of Chhattisgarh, Shekhar Dutt had stepped down from his office earlier today, while Uttar Pradesh Governor BL Joshi had resigned on Tuesday.