Mamata Banerjee's order: Junior minister Sudip Bandyopadhyay comes above Cabinet minister Dinesh Trivedi

NEW DELHI: Senior Trinamool Congress leader and minister of state for health Sudip Bandyopadhyay has been elected the chief of the Lok Sabha parliamentary party at a meeting chaired by party supremo Mamata Banerjee here. The appointment of Bandyopadhyay clearly shows that in Banerjee's pecking order, the junior minister comes above Cabinet minister Dinesh Trivedi.

The railway minister has of late been finding himself sidelined in the party affairs. Mamata Banerjee, Trivedi-baiters say, has been unhappy with the minister for establishing a direct line with Congress.

Besides Sudip Bandyopadhyay, his party colleague and minister of state for shipping Mukul Roy was elected the leader in Rajya Sabha at the meeting parliamentary party held soon after the West Bengal chief minister arrived here on Tuesday night. Bandopadhyay and Roy met Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and informed her about the party's decision.

Banerjee's visit comes in the backdrop of strained ties between Trinamool Congress and Congress, with the state unit of her alliance partner holding a rally to protest against her party's alleged attacks on Congress workers. Banerjee will not meet either the prime minister or Congress president Sonia Gandhi during her current visit to Delhi.