New Delhi:
After nearing break point, Mamata Banerjee and the Congress seem to be working on rescuing their relationship. On Thursday night, Ms Banerjee's party said the government had till the end of Friday to remove Dinesh Trivedi as Railways Minister. A gentler note was taken on Friday. "It is nothing to be hurried, nothing to be worried. The issue is being dealt with by the PM and Mamata," said Sudip Bandhopadhyay, who is from the Trinamool Congress (TMC). He added that the Prime Minister and Ms Banerjee spoke on Thursday night. A meeting of the Congress Core Group - comprising the party's top leaders - on Friday evening too ended without any result, with a decision on Mr Trivedi now being put off till Monday. Another sign of reconciliation between the allies lies in the Trinamool Congress' grade of "acceptable" for the Union Budget that was presented in Parliament on Friday. That's being read as an indication of the Trinamool mellowing by senior Congress leaders like Pawan Bansal and Rajiv Shukla.
The lifting of the deadline for Mr Trivedi's removal suggests Ms Banerjee is not immune to reports that the Congress has been considering replacing her in the ruling coalition at the Centre with Mulayam Singh Yadav and his Samajwadi Party MPs. His partymen seem to be relishing the speculation. "Even if Trinamool Congress pulls out of the government, our support will continue," said Samajwadi Party leader Shailendra Kumar.
Mr Trivedi belongs to Ms Banerjee's party, and was nominated by her to the union cabinet. He has outraged his party chief by announcing a hike in passenger fares during his Railways Budget, and for refusing to roll-back the hike. The Congress had asked Ms Banerjee to wait till March 30 for Mr Trivedi's removal - Parliament breaks then for a few days, and a change in minister at that time would deprive the Opposition of an attack on the government. Ms Banerjee, not known for compromise, refused that suggestion. On Thursday night, her party said that as soon as the Union Budget is presented in Parliament, Mr Trivedi must go.
During his presentation of the Union Budget on Friday, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee joked that he was happy "to roll-back" when MPs asked him to repeat a few paras. "Rollback of the speech, no problem," Mr Mukherjee said, smiling broadly, as the House laughed with him. For the Congress, though, the lighter side of the crisis created by Ms Banerjee is exceedingly tough to find.
Sources in both the Congress and Ms Banerjee's party say that both sides are also close to resolving another large dispute. On Monday, in Parliament, the Prime Minister will address some of the concerns raised by Ms Banerjee to the new National Counter Terror Centre or NCTC. Ms Banerjee has said the NCTC's powers violate the autonomy of state governments and federalism. Her party moved amendments to the President's address to Parliament earlier this week, asking for a reference to the NCTC to be deleted. The President's address outlines the government's agenda; allies rarely ask for amendments. The BJP has moved similar amendments on the NCTC, and is likely to press for a vote. That could put Ms Banerjee's MPs in the awkward position of voting with the BJP and against the government. The PM, in his reply to the motion of thanks to the President's address on Monday, is expected to assuage Ms Banerjee's fears about the NCTC. That could help diffuse at least some of the tension between the political partners.
The lifting of the deadline for Mr Trivedi's removal suggests Ms Banerjee is not immune to reports that the Congress has been considering replacing her in the ruling coalition at the Centre with Mulayam Singh Yadav and his Samajwadi Party MPs. His partymen seem to be relishing the speculation. "Even if Trinamool Congress pulls out of the government, our support will continue," said Samajwadi Party leader Shailendra Kumar.
Mr Trivedi belongs to Ms Banerjee's party, and was nominated by her to the union cabinet. He has outraged his party chief by announcing a hike in passenger fares during his Railways Budget, and for refusing to roll-back the hike. The Congress had asked Ms Banerjee to wait till March 30 for Mr Trivedi's removal - Parliament breaks then for a few days, and a change in minister at that time would deprive the Opposition of an attack on the government. Ms Banerjee, not known for compromise, refused that suggestion. On Thursday night, her party said that as soon as the Union Budget is presented in Parliament, Mr Trivedi must go.
During his presentation of the Union Budget on Friday, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee joked that he was happy "to roll-back" when MPs asked him to repeat a few paras. "Rollback of the speech, no problem," Mr Mukherjee said, smiling broadly, as the House laughed with him. For the Congress, though, the lighter side of the crisis created by Ms Banerjee is exceedingly tough to find.
Sources in both the Congress and Ms Banerjee's party say that both sides are also close to resolving another large dispute. On Monday, in Parliament, the Prime Minister will address some of the concerns raised by Ms Banerjee to the new National Counter Terror Centre or NCTC. Ms Banerjee has said the NCTC's powers violate the autonomy of state governments and federalism. Her party moved amendments to the President's address to Parliament earlier this week, asking for a reference to the NCTC to be deleted. The President's address outlines the government's agenda; allies rarely ask for amendments. The BJP has moved similar amendments on the NCTC, and is likely to press for a vote. That could put Ms Banerjee's MPs in the awkward position of voting with the BJP and against the government. The PM, in his reply to the motion of thanks to the President's address on Monday, is expected to assuage Ms Banerjee's fears about the NCTC. That could help diffuse at least some of the tension between the political partners.
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