Trinamool Congress today ruled out any threat to the UPA Government but insisted that the Railway Minister, Mr Dinesh Trivedi, should go.
“We are supporting the Government totally,” the Trinamool Parliamentary Party leader, Mr Sudip Bandyopadhyay, told reporters.
He was asked whether the Government was stable or it faces any threat.
Asked whether Mr Trivedi would remain as Railway Minister, he said: “Trivedi is an individual. Trinamool Congress is of the opinion that he should not remain as Railway Minister unless he withdraws the hike (passenger fares in the Railway Budget).
Mamata Banerjee's demand
“But this morning the situation has changed (an apparent reference to party leader Mamata Banerjee’s demand to replace Trivedi with Minister of State for Shipping Mukul Roy,” he said.
Mr Bandyopadhyay asked “can there be a situation when Mr Pranab Mukerjee would not consult the Prime Minister or Sonia Gandhi’’.
Angered by Mr Trivedi’s proposals contained in the Railway Budget presented yesterday, Ms Banerjee had written to the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, last night seeking his removal and replacement by Mr Mukul Roy.
Counter-terrorism centre
Mr Bandyopadhyay said the party MPs would meet the Prime Minister today and take up the party’s objection to inclusion of the National Counter-Terrorism Centre issue in the President’s address.
To a question whether TMC would support amendment to the President’s address on the NCTC issue moved by BJP because its own amendment has been rejected, he said: “We will cross the bridge when we come to it”.