M A I N   N E W S

Mamata defers decision to quit
Vajpayee assures rollback
From Subhrangshu Gupta

CALCUTTA, Oct 3 — The Railway Minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee, has deferred her decision to quit the Vajpayee ministry along with her senior colleague, Mr Ajit Kumar Panja, Union Minister of State for External Affairs, till October 6 after there was “a categorical assurance from the Prime Minister to slash down the prices of diesel, LPG and kerosene”.

This was announced by Ms Banerjee herself after a three-day political drama in the Capital and Calcutta over their resignation from the Central Cabinet. The “withdrawal decision” was made only an hour before the expiry of the deadline of Ms Banerjee’s three-day ultimatum to the Prime Minister this evening. A formal decision on price reduction would be announced on October 6, she said.

Though there was no official announcement regarding the new reduced price structure of petrol, diesel, LPG and kerosene, after eight-hour long marathon meeting with the Prime Minister’s emissary, Mr Sudhindra Kulkarni, Ms Banerjee indicated that the price reduction would be around 10 to 15 per cent on all commodities.

Significantly enough, though the price would be nominal, the firebrand Railway Minister could be persuaded to change her decision of resignation with an offer of another ministerial berth for Trinamool Congress in the NDA ministry, which she had been demanding for the past one year. Mr Sudip Bandopadhyaya may be the TMC’s new minister in the Vajpayee government.

Reacting to Ms Banerjee’s decision to “withdraw her resignation”, Mr Jyoti Basu remarked: “We all knew this was to happen. She was enacting a drama. Her main concern was to get another ministerial berth for her party and not the price hike of petrol, diesel, LPG and kerosene and she has been successful in her mission”.

Ms Banerjee was aggrieved that the BJP with only two MPs from West Bengal could get two ministerial berths, while TMC with nine MPs, have been provided with one Cabinet and another state ministerial post. She also demanded that Mr Panja’s portfolio be upgraded which Mr Vajpayee has agreed to consider.

According to an unofficial indication, however, the prices of petrol will remain unchanged, if not a further increase, to meet the huge losses to be incurred for lowering down the prices of diesel, LPG and kerosene.

Mr Kulkarni, Officer on Special Duty in the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, who arrived in the city late last night as an emissary of Mr Vajpayee, held marathon talks for eight hours with Ms Banerjee, explaining to her the difficulties in altogether withdrawing the price hike decision of petrol, diesel, LPG and kerosene at this stage.

He also placed a compromise formula, prepared by the Prime Minister, after consulting senior Cabinet colleagues, Mr L.K. Advani, Mr Yashwant Sinha, Mr Jaswant Singh and senior officials, before the Railway Minister, Mr Ajit Kumar Panja, Mr Sudip Bandopadhyaya, MP, among others, were present at Mr Kulkarni’s meeting with the Railway Minister.

Ms Banerjee and Mr Panja had tendered resignation on September 30, giving a three-day ultimatum to the Prime Minister for withdrawal of price hike decision of petrol, diesel, kerosene and LPG.