Expressing concern over the 'poor financial situation' in the railways, opposition parties on Thursday asked the government to come out with steps to be taken to improve the condition of the public sector unit behemoth.
Former minister for Railways Dinesh Trivedi speaks exclusively to rediff.com on a day when the Railway Budget will be presented in Parliament.
In an exclusive interview with CNN-IBN Editor in Chief Rajdeep Sardesai, Mamta Banerjee about the recent row over former Railway minister Dinesh Trivedi and the strained relationship with the Congress.
Dubbing the National Centre for Counter Terrorism as worse than the Prevention Of Terrorism Act and the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Monday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to convey her reservations over the counter-terrorism provision.
Trinamool Congress on Monday ruled out any action against Dinesh Trivedi, who resigned as railway minister, saying that he has been asked to attend the parliamentary party meeting which party chief Mamata Banerjee is expected to attend.
The Trinamool Congress expects the Congress leadership to keep its "word" on removal of Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi even as he asserted that Railways is nobody's fiefdom.
The Trinamool Congress, which has asked Railway minister Dinesh Trivedi to quit his post, on Saturday rejected his demand that party supremo Mamata Banerjee should say so in writing to him. "Nothing will be given in writing," Trinamool Congress parliamentary party leader in Lok Sabha Sudip Bandyopadhay told reporters when he was leaving the state secretariat with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, after a meeting which lasted over three hours.
However, he made it clear that he would resign the moment Prime Minister Manmohan Singh or Mamata Banerjee ask him to do.
On a day of dramatic developments, The Trinamool Congress on Wednesday night sought the removal of its senior-most nominee in the Union Cabinet, Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi, hours after he proposed a hike in railway passenger fares, plunging the UPA government in an unusual political crisis.
The Annual Plan for Railway for 2012-13 is put at highest ever Rs 60,100 crore (Rs 601 billion).
Union Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi said the new Express Trains would include 9 AC Express Trains including double Decker Express Trains between Chennai-Bangalore and Habibganj-Indore.
Railway Safety Plan for 12th Plan would be Rs 16,842 crore (Rs 168.42 billion), the Railway Minister informed the Lok Sabha.
The Indian Railways has one of the busiest railway networks in the world.
Some say it is time to decongest the existing line infrastructure and cater to the supply shortage of rolling stock to meet the demand for bulk commodities such as coal, cement and foodgrains.
Rahul said it is clear that things are "not normal" in Jammu and Kashmir.
Railway board chairman Vinay Mittal has written to railway minister Dinesh Trivedi, seeking a fare hike to address earning concerns.
New members of the Union Council of Ministers, including Tribal Affairs Minister V Kishore Chandra Deo, were introduced to both Houses of Parliament by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday. Dr Singh also introduced Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma, Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi and Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, who were recently inducted as Cabinet ministers, to members of both Houses.
As yet another Rail budget is set to be unveiled, Railways has seen several former Ministers like Suresh Kalmadi and Dinesh Trivedi getting derailed after remaining at the helm.
Two months after Dinesh Trivedi was removed as railway minister, his party Trinamool Congress continued to target him for hiking passenger fares and advised his successor Mukul Roy on Thursday to follow the policies of Mamata Banerjee in running the organisation. Trivedi was removed from the railway ministry a few days after he presented the rail budget, in which he hiked passenger fares.
The development comes about a week after Roy said that the work has slowed down especially during the last eight to nine months apparently making a veiled attack on his predecessor, who is also a fellow party leader.
Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Roy was on Tuesday elevated to Cabinet rank to take over as Union railway minister replacing Dinesh Trivedi, who was forced to resign after Congress caved in to Mamata Banerjee's pressure.
The Trinamool Congress on Monday ruled out expelling Dinesh Trivedi who had to resign after earning the wrath of party chief Mamata Banerjee for raising passenger fares in rail budget.
Announcing the resignation of Dinesh Trivedi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he regretted the departure of the railway minister who had presented a budget which promised the "vision" outlined by his predecessor Mamata Banerjee.
All eyes are now on the low profile Mukul Roy, Trinamool Congress general secretary and Minister of State for Shipping.
All eyes are now on the low profile Mukul Roy, Trinamool Congress general secretary and Minister of State for Shipping.
A decision on the fate of Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi is expected "any moment", Trinamool leader Sudip Bandopadhyay on Friday said.
Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi on Thursday came in for sharp criticism from his party the Trinamool Congress with a state minister dubbing him a 'traitor'.
Dinesh Trivedi continued to be Railway Minister on Thursday but only just with the United Progressive Alliance leadership appearing to have buckled under the Trinamool Congress demand to sack him, an action that has been temporarily delayed by the Union Budget to be presented on Friday.
The political storm in the United Progressive Alliance government over Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi issue on Thursday gave an opportunity to the Bharatiya Janata Party to charge that the government is short of number and is shying away from facing the amendments to the President's address in Parliament.
The Congress on Thursday sought to downplay the Dinesh Trivedi episode, saying it is an internal affair of the government and it could not be discussed outside.
PMO officials said while they had got a request from Trinamool Congress MPs for a meeting with the PM, no letter recommending Trivedi's replacement had been received till late Wednesday night.
The Congress core group met at the prime minister's residence late on Wednesday night and weighed options to deal with the demand made by Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee to sack Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi.
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has no qualms in mixing economics with politics, which is evident from her reaction to the railway budget, says Renu Mittal.
Railway investment in the 12th Plan to be Rs 7.35 lakh crore
Train fares have been hiked by 5 paise per km for Sleeper Class, Union Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi announced on Wednesday.
Deepak Parekh, HDFC Bank Chairman, M S Verma, former SBI Chairman, Raghuram, Professor IIM, Ahmedabad, Rajiv Lal, IDFC MD and Vinayak Chatterjee, Feedback, Infrastructure Services Chairman are members of the committee.
Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi on Wednesday said investigation into the train collision which left nine persons dead would go into all details to ensure such mishaps do not recur, but said it was "too early to blame anybody".
Preliminary investigation into the train accident at Sitheri has found that it took place due to over-speeding of the Electric Multiple Unit train, which rammed into a stationary train, Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi said on Wednesday.
Dinesh Trivedi, a member of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, says, "Our government is seriously bothered about Anna's health. Why is Team Anna not requesting Annaji to break his fast, even once? I believe the government is more worried about Anna's health than even Team Anna."
Trinamool politics set to trump prudence on passenger fares.
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