Trivedi gets railwaymen’s backing

Five federations of railway employee unions have written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressing support for railway minister Dinesh Trivedi and urging him to "not allow the politicisation of the Indian Railways".

Apprehending a roll-back of the fare hikes announced in the railway budget, the five federations have appealed to the prime minister to ensure that the compulsions of coalition politics do not affect Railway's revenues, which, they said, are already under stress.

The unions have also threatened agitation if the hike in passenger fares is rolled back.

The hike in passenger fares announced in the railway budget had triggered a political storm with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee demanding a roll-back of the hikes and replacement of railway minister Trivedi with Mukul Roy. She also mounted a campaign against Dinesh Trivedi by party members to explain the "betrayal". 

The federations have reiterated that there should not be any roll-back in non-AC passenger fares without matching support from the government.

If the government were to continue using the Railways as a milch cow, the Union will be left with no option but to involve other stakeholders and start a sustained agitation, Shiva Gopal Mishra, secretary general of the All India Railwaymen Federation, said in the communication.