New Delhi/Kolkata:
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh used his Motion of Thanks on the President's address today to meet at least one demand of the Opposition - clarity on the status of Dinesh Trivedi, who was Railways Minister till he quit last night. Dr Singh confirmed that last night, he had received first an email and then a formal letter of resignation from Mr Trivedi. He said that he had accepted Mr Trivedi's resignation and has forwarded the former minister's letter to President Pratibha Patil. He also said that he regrets the departure of Mr Trivedi, who belongs to Mamata Banerjee's party, the Trinamool Congress. Minutes later, Ms Banerjee retorted outside Parliament that the PM's remarks reflect "a personal opinion" and one that her party does not share.
She also indicated that the hike in passenger fares, proposed by Mr Trivedi last week, will be rolled back, at least for the cheaper trains and coaches used most by the aam admi or common man. She said that while pricier tickets for AC and super-class fares was alright, but passengers traveling in the lower class should not suffer.
"We should do what is needed, but will not do anything that will disturb the aam janta. This is our policy," she said.
Ms Banerjee, along with party leader Mukul Roy, met with the Prime Minister. Mr Roy is Mamata's candidate for the new Railways minister and may be sworn-in as early as tomorrow.
While sharing that he has accepted Mr Trivedi's resignation, Dr Singh highlighted the difficulties of coalition politics and with some irony lauded Mr Trivedi for having presented a "Railway Budget which promised to carry out the vision 2020 that was outlined by his predecessor." Mr Trivedi's predecessor in Rail Bhawan was Mamata Banerjee, who is his party's chief, and demanded Mr Trivedi's resignation for proposing a hike in passenger fares.
As soon as the Lok Sabha convened after the weekend, the BJP said the Prime Minister must address Parliament to explain the chain of events that led to the Rail Minister's exit. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee replied that Mr Trivedi's resignation had been received and that the Prime Minister was considering it. "When a decision is made, it will be shared with the House," he said.
The BJP's Yashwant Sinha said, "The PM is the head of the Cabinet. He has the right to give a portfolio to someone else. But he is also obliged to share information with Parliament. But we are discovering everything in the newspapers," he said.
"Dinesh Trivedi is in the House. He should also clarify the situation to Parliament," Mr Sinha added.
Gurudas Dasgupta of the Left also said the Prime Minister owes parliament an explanation. "A backstage drama is taking place. Parliament is in session and we don't know what is happening," he said.
Mr Sinha brought a smile to the Finance Minister's face when he took a swipe at the PM saying he had great respect for Mr Mukherjee, who is Leader of the Lok Sabha; "the PM should have been leader but couldn't make it," Mr Sinha said. Dr Manmohan Singh is a rare Indian PM who is not a member of the Lok Sabha. He is a Rajya Sabha member from Guwahati.
Meanwhile, Mr Trivedi will come face-to-face with Ms Banerjee for the first time today at a meeting of MPs of their party. He has not seen her since he presented his budget. He said last night that he continues to think of Ms Banerjee as his leader and has no plans to switch parties. Ms Banerjee simply said last night before leaving Kolkata for Delhi that she plans to meet "with all my people."