Firm on the removal of Railway Minister, Mr Dinesh Trivedi, the Trinamool Congress chief, Ms Mamata Banerjee, today asserted that it was time for the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, to act on her plea to replace Mr Trivedi with another party nominee, Mr Mukul Roy.

“I have already said whatever I have had to say. Now the Government has to decide. Mukul Roy will be our candidate for the Railway Minister,” Ms Mamata said during the filing of nominations for Rajya Sabha elections by Mr Roy, the Union Minister of state for Shipping, and three others.

Ms Mamata Banerjee, the West Bengal Chief Minister, had spoken to the Prime Minister on Thursday and is believed to have been assured on replacement of Mr Trivedi.

Her comment came shortly after the Trinamool Congress chief whip in Lok Sabha, Mr Kalyan Banerjee, telephoned Mr Trivedi this morning and asked him to quit, but the Railway Minister insisted on a letter from the party chairperson, Ms Mamata Banerjee.

Asked to comment on Mr Trivedi’s stand and Mr Kalyan Banerjee’s telephone call to him, she declined to comment saying “ask Kalyan Banerjee who is the party chief whip in Lok Sabha’’.

She described Mr Roy, who filed nomination for a second term in the Rajya Sabha from the state, as a ‘loyal soldier’ of the party.

“He has been a loyal soldier of the party. He has served Rajya Sabha for six years. We have renominated him. He is our party’s all-India general secretary,” she said.

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