This Article is From May 21, 2009

Mamata likely to be new Rail Minister

Mamata likely to be new Rail Minister

AP image

New Delhi: Trinamool Congress is believed to have reached an agreement with Congress on allocation of ministerial portfolios with party chief Mamata Banerjee likely to get Railways at the level of Cabinet in the new government.

Party sources said TC, which has 19 seats in the Lok Sabha and is the largest constituent in the UPA after Congress, is likely to get six more slots at the level of Ministers of State.

Apart from Banerjee, the other likely entrants into the government are Sougata Roy, Sultan Ahmed, Dinesh Trivedi, Mukul Roy, Shishir Adhikari and Choudhury Mohan Jatua.

Debutant MP Adhikari, representing Kontai constituency in which Nandigram falls, is likely to get the portfolio of rural development as Minister of State with Independent charge.

"There are no water and no roads. Addressing such issues will be my priorities if I get the rural development portfolio," Adhikari said.

Uluberia MP Ahmed is tipped to be the Minister of State for Minority Affairs.

When approached, Ahmed said, "if given the chance, I would work for upliftment of minorities which is a national issue."
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