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Mamata quits NDA over Eastern Railway split

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said that her party's working committee unanimously resolved that 'until and unless' the issue of Eastern Railway bifurcation is sorted out to its satisfaction, the party will not be a 'part and parcel of the National Democratic Alliance'.

Addressing an impromptu press conference after the meeting, she pointed out that she would be seeking an appointment with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on August 16 or 17 to convey her party's decision.

Contending that she could not immediately meet Vajpayee as he was preoccupied with the Independence Day programme, she pointed out that she would meeting him and the also the newly-elected Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat in the context.

Shekhawat won as the NDA's vice-presidential candidate defeating his opposition rival Sushil Kumar Shinde by 149 votes.

Asked about the participation of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Shibu Soren in the meeting, Mamata said that he too favoured that there should be no bifurcation of Eastern Railway and that Dhanbad should stay with it.

A total of 17 Trinamool MPs and MLAs attended the meeting. Mamata also pointed out that the issue of the bifurcation was a political compulsion for her party and that it could not afford to back down on the emotional issue.

She said that the people of the state were determined to ensure that West Bengal did not turn out to be a loser on the issue, which was very close to her heart.

Apart from the Trinamool chief, the other prominent party members who attended Tuesday's meeting were Krishna Bose, Sudip Bandopadhyay, Akbor Ali Khonderkar and Subrata Mukherjee.

One party MP told rediff.com that the party member's proposed meeting with the prime minister on August 16 or 17 was a last-ditch attempt by the leadership after which 'there is no going back'.

Meanwhile, the BJP appealed to the Mamata to reconsider its decision.

"Trinamool Congress is an important NDA ally. We appeal to party chief Mamata Banerjee to reconsider her decision. Beyond this, I do not want to comment. The NDA partners will take a decision on the issue," party spokesman Arun Jaitley said.

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