Dinesh Trivedi decides to quit as Railway Minister

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Dinesh Trivedi on Sunday night decided to resign as Railway Minister bringing the curtain down on the five-day drama after he incurred the wrath of Trinamool Congress for hiking passenger fares in the Railway Budget.

"He (Trivedi) called me and he told me that he will abide by the party decision and send his resignation," Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said before she left for Delhi. She also said that Trivedi told him that he will remain with the party.

Trivedi's decision came as an anti-climax as he put up a stiff defiance in the last five days refusing to quit unless asked for specifically in writing by Mamata. He said he had a constitutional duty to pilot the budget he had presented in Parliament.

Angered by his budget hiking passenger fares, Mamata wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday night and demanded his replacement with another party nominee and Minister of State for Shipping Mukul Roy.

As she mounted pressure, the Prime Minister and Congress leadership assured her that Trivedi will be replaced in a couple of days after the presentation of general budget on Friday last.