Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday night to make her Trinamool
colleague Mukul Roy railway minister after her nominee Dinesh Trivedi hiked
passenger fares and refused to back off despite Mamatas strident criticism.
Sources close to Banerjee said a communication to this effect had been sent
to the prime ministers office.
The incident comes at the end of a dramatic day that saw rapid developments
beginning with Trivedi proposing across the board hike in railway fares for
the first time in 10 years.
Soon after Trivedi finished presenting his budget, Trinamool parliamentary
party leader Sudip Bandopadhyay lashed out against the budget and demanded
a rollback failing which the party would protest inside and outside
parliament.
We want the government to rollback the fare hike. It is not in the interest
of the common man, said Bandopadhyay.
Later, speaking at a meeting in East Midnapore districts Nandigram,
Banerjee said: Today the rail fare has been increased, we were not aware of
it. Our parliamentary party has already opposed it.
We will not accept the fare hike. We will not allow the fare hike to happen
for the sake of the common manWe are totally against it. I can assure you
this, Banerjee said.
In his media interactions in Delhi, Trivedi seemed in no mood to oblige the
party leadership.
The railways was getting into ICU. I have pulled the railways from ICU. And
I have made the railways healthy. I accept full responsibility…Ive no
hesitation in accepting that neither the party nor the leadership was aware
of it (the hike).
In another interview to a channel, Trivedi said for him the country comes
first, then the family, and then the party.
IANS