Mukul Roy to be sworn in as Railways Minister today

After forcing the government to secure the resignation of railway minister Dinesh Trivedi, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Monday persuaded Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to induct Mukul as the new Cabinet minister. Roy will be sworn in at 10 am on Tuesday, hours before the commencement of the debate on the rail budget in the Lok Sabha.

The timing of the swearing-in ceremony suggests that Roy, a trusted aide of the Banerjee, will be replying to the discussion on the rail budget, expected to take place on Wednesday. The debate was scheduled to start on Monday after the voting on the motion of thanks to the presidential address, but was deferred by a day in view of the emerging situation.

The prime minister, in his reply to the motion of thanks, had informed the Lok Sabha about the impending change in the railway ministry, without specifying the time-frame.

"I received an e-mail message last night, followed by a formal letter from Shri Dinesh Trivedi tendering his resignation as the railway minister. I propose to forward this letter to the President with the recommendation to accept his resignation. "I regret his departure,'' he told the House, adding, "a new railway minister will be sworn in shortly. He will have the onerous duty of carrying forward the challenging of modernising our railway system.''

Banerjee insisted that the new railway minister should be allowed to present the reply, as it would make it easy for her party to have its way on its demand for a partial rollback in rail fare hikes introduced in the rail budget by Trivedi. The Trinamool Congress, in keeping with its `propoor image,' wants the government to withdraw the increase in fares of non-AC classes.

Banerjee also dropped enough hints to suggest that there will be a partial modification in fare hike proposals. "If our nominee will become the railway minister, then we will modify the fares. There is no problem in the hike in upper class fares. We have no objection... it is tolerable. But for those who are poor, who travel daily in trains or those who travel in sleeper classes, it matters,'' she told newspersons before attending the Trinamool Congress parliamentary party.

Banerjee said: "I am committed to UPA-II because we had contested the election together. I want to keep my manifesto promise. Unless, until they throw us out, we'll continue with respect, whatever they may give to us."

Banerjee arrived in the Capital on Sunday night and met the prime minister in his Parliament House office for 20 minutes on Monday, before attending a gathering of her parliamentary group. Among other things. Banerjee is said to have discussed Roy's induction and a financial package for Bengal. She is also learnt to have explained to the PM the reason behind her party's decision to stage a walk-out from the LS before it took up Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj's notice seeking an amendment to the reference to NCTC in the presidential address.

"The meeting was good,'' Banerjee said when asked about the outcome of her meeting with the prime minister. "There is no breaking news,'' she remarked in jest when asked whether relations between the two sides had come under strain in the wake of rail fare hikes effected by Trivedi and the delay by the government on Trinamool's demand for ousting the railway minister.  (Economic Times)