My sacking was not due to rail fare hike: Trivedi

Former Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi  in an exclusive interview to Times Now said on Tuesday that his  sacking had nothing to do with the railway fare hike. He said that the decision to sack him was taken much earlier.

Trivedi said Mamata’s aide was fully aware that the minister would be sacked even before he presented his budget, adding that he never expected the TMC to oppose his railway budget.

Trivedi said, “I did not want to embarrass the government, so I decided to quit.”

Trivedi in his railway budget had hiked the passenger fares. It was the first time in 10 years. “I presented the budget keeping in mind the masses. When a railway minister prepares a budget, it shouldn’t be party oriented or region oriented. I thought of the nation”, he said.

He said presenting a proposal is a freedom of expression any minister must have and he still sticks to his decision. “I am happy with it and have no regrets”, he added.

Trivedi also questioned other ministers saying, “Now everybody is talking about rollbacks. Why didn’t they talk about roll back the day I presented my budget?”

He said that he had told his leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that if she wanted him to go, he’ll go in just 10 seconds. “I shot an email to the Prime Minister immediately. It was the first time a minister sent his resignation over email.”