Mamata Banerjee firm on replacing Dinesh Trivedi

KOLKATA: Firm on the removal of Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee today asserted that it was time for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to act on her plea to replace Trivedi with another party nominee 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," Mamata said during the filing of nominations for Rajya Sabha elections by Roy, the Union minister of state for Shipping, and three others.

Mamata, the West Bengal chief minister, had spoken to the Prime minister on Thursday and is believed to have been assured on replacement of Trivedi.

Banerjee's comment came shortly after Trinamool Congress Chief Whip in Lok Sabha Kalyan Banerjee telephoned Trivedi in the morning and asked him to quit, but the Railway minister insisted on a letter from the party chairperson Mamata.

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

She described 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.