New Delhi, July 20: The railway minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee, is under pressure from her party colleagues not to quit the Union cabinet till the West Bengal Assembly elections in 2011 are over.
Ms Banerjee has been advised by her close associates “not to repeat the mistake” of the early 1990s, when she quit in a huff from the Narasimha Rao Cabinet. She is expected to give an indication on whether she will continue as railway minister at a public rally on Wednesday.
However, a day after the train mishap in which over 67 persons were killed, Ms Banerjee has been in consultation with her partymen on the issue of retaining her portfolio. Though there has been pressure on her to continue, Ms Banerjee is known for taking her own decisions. Ms Banerjee might indicate her next move at the “Martyrs’ Day” rally on Wednesday, sources said.