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Mamata withdraws resignation

Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee withdrew her resignation, along with her party colleague and Minister of State for External Affairs Ajit Kumar Panja, on Friday.

Developments preceding her announcement of withdrawing her resignation were dramatic.

Mamata's trusted lieutenant and party parliamentarian Sudip Bandopaddhyay was not allowed to remain inside her residence each time Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's calls came.

Bandopanddhyay, who is the Trinamul's chief whip in Parliament, chose to spend time with reporters waiting outside.

Mamata spoke to Vajpayee twice during the day, but he could succeed in reigning in her only after promising a written assurance of reviewing the petroleum hike after his return from Bombay.

The Trinamul chief was expected to address journalists at 1600 hour IST on Friday, but postponed it till 1730 hours IST following failure to reach an agreement.

Mamata thanked the like-minded National Democratic Alliance constituents for siding with her on the issue of revising prices of petroleum products. She, however, refused to disclose the names of those NDA partners who, according to her, had shown solidarity on the issue.

"Why would you need to know this," she stated.

Mamata's reasoning for withdrawal of her resignation was that ''this is the first time the prime minister of the country has given me a written assurance''.

"There can't be a more authentic assurance than this. We are also human beings. We can't blackmail the prime minister when he is not well and undergoing a knee surgery. It's not ethical. I believe that you can never grow as a political party by hurting somebody when he is not in a right frame of mind," Mamata argued.

The letter of the prime minister states: "I fully share your concerns and sentiments about the affect of the price hike on the common people. Even though the government has tried to minimise the burden of the price increase on the consumers it cannot be disputed that the hike does cause hardships to the common citizens."

"We are closely watching the trend in international oil prices. I assure you the entire issue will be given a re-look and appropriate action will be taken after my knee surgery," the letter stated.

Panja was conspicuous by his absence. Bandopaddhyay told rediff.com that he had left for Puri for a puja vacation. However, party insiders said that he had left Calcutta on Thursday evening primarily to show his frustration with Mamata's decision to quit the Union Cabinet. Panja was unhappy over the Trinamul supremo's threat to pull out of the NDA government.

Mamata said that she found no justification in boycotting the railway ministry any longer and would attend office at the earliest. She refused to divulge details as to what extent the prices of petroleum products would be rolled back following the PM's intervention.

RELATED REPORT
The prime minister's letter to Mamata Banerjee

EARLIER REPORTS
PM rejects Mamata, Panja's resignations
Mamata extends deadline by three days

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