Between devil and deep blue sea

Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi is on a sticky wicket and admitted as much to some reporters last week. “I don’t know how long I will continue to be the railway minister,” he said. The admission comes two months before the Rail Budget is presented to Parliament. Trivedi is finding it difficult to push the idea of a hike in passenger fare — desperately needed by the ministry to get its Budget in order — as his party chief Mamta Banerjee has strictly ordered against an increase in fare. Adding salt to his wounds, Trivedi was told in a Cabinet meeting last week by a senior minister: “We don’t rule out the possibility of Trinamool Congress withdrawing support from the UPA just to prevent you from presenting the Rail Budget.”