Didi’s diktat: Toe the party line or face the music

As Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi remained defiant against rolling back the tariff hikes he announced in the railway budget, Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday warned party lawmakers not to go against the party line.

Addressing the Trinamool legislature party, Banerjee expressed surprise at Trivedi increasing the tariff without bothering to discuss the matter in the party, legilsators who attended the meeting said.

“She said if a party member tries to break party rules and regulations it will not be tolerated,” said a three-time Trinamool MLA on condition of anonymity.

Banerjee’s diktat comes in the wake of Trivedi’s unprecedented rebellion, when he rubbed Banerjee the wrong way by raising railway fares against her purported wishes.

And despite the loud demands from the Trinamool party for a roll back of the fare hikes, and subtle suggestions that he put in his papers, Trivedi remained defiant.

Infuriated Banerjee shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday night asking him to make her Trinamool colleague Mukul Roy the railway minister in place of Trivedi as he had gone against the wishes of the party supremo.

“Didi in the meeting expressed astonishment at how Dinesh-da could raise the fares going against the party and that too without any discussion within the party. She said that the party will not tolerate indiscipline and rebellion,” said a two-time Trinamool MLA.

“Didi said had Dinesh-da hiked Rajdhani and first class ticket fares that would have been a bit logical, but raising fares of all the classes will hit the ‘aam admi’ (common man) the most. The party cannot go against the poor,” he said.