Trinamul Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee is learnt to be under pressure within her party to get minister of state for urban development Saugata Roy made railway minister and elevated to Cabinet rank, sources said.
At present the railway ministry has three ministers of state — Ms Banerjee’s trusted aide Mukul Roy, who entered the ministry after she resigned as railway minister, as well as K.H. Muniappa and Bharatsinh Solanki, both from the Congress. Mr Mukul Roy also continues to be minister of state for shipping.
The sources said while Ms Banerjee “remains the last word in her party”, Trinamul leaders have reservations about elevating Mr Roy, a first-time Rajya Sabha MP, to Cabinet rank. He cannot be given independent charge as a minister of state because such a minister cannot have other MoS working under him.
The other Trinamul leader who was hoping to get railways is Mr Dinesh Trivedi, but he is said to have fallen out of favour with his chief of late following the “meteoric rise” of Rajya Sabha MP K.D. Singh, considered the party’s new chief fund-raiser. Sources added, meanwhile that the Trinamul Congress is also eyeing the urban development ministry, now headed by the Congress’ Kamal Nath. “We can get two Cabinet berths,” a Trinamul leader said.
With the DMK losing its clout in the UPA — after A. Raja, textiles minister Dayanidhi Maran might now face the axe — Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav is once again lobbying hard to get himself and his team into the Cabinet. The sources said, however, that the Congress high command “is not keen to get the SP into the Cabinet before the UP Assembly elections”. A Congress leader said: “The SP’s entry before the state election could well upset Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, who is also an UPA ally.”
The sources said the government was looking at the possibility of a Cabinet reshuffle on or after June 9. It might have to wait a few days longer as President Pratibha Patil is likely to be out of New Delhi next week — from June 5 to 11. Ms Patil is expected to go for a holiday to Nainital, from where she will go to Dehra Dun to preside over the passing-out parade at the Indian Military Academy on June 11. In that event, the Cabinet reshuffle could well take place sometime between June 12 and 15.