Mukul Roy takes over as the new Railway Minister

Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Roy was administered oath as the new Railways Minister by President Pratibha Patil on Tuesday morning at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Mukul Roy, who is currently the Minister of State for Shipping, replaced his party colleague Dinesh Trivedi.

Roy’s induction into the Union Cabinet comes after Trivedi’s resignation was accepted on Monday night. Trivedi was forced to quit as Railways Minister in the wake of demand for his removal by his party chief Mamata Banerjee, who was upset over the hike in passenger fares announced in his maiden Railway Budget last week.

Earlier Banerjee had announced Roy’s name as Trivedi’s replacement stating, “Mukul Roy will be next Railways Minister. He has been a Trinamool MP for six years already. He has been re-nominated to the Rajya Sabha this time. He is a good worker. Now the government will have to decide.”

57-year-old Mukul Roy has been with the Trinamool Congress since its founding, particularly during the party’s movements against land acquisition at Singur and Nandigram, but has always preferred keeping a low profile.

Roy, who was not into politics initially, was the non-executive director of the United Bank of India from 2002 to 2005.

He became a member of the Rajya Sabha from West Bengal in April 2006 and in August the same year was appointed member of the Committee on Urban Development as well as a member of the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Home Affairs.

In April 2008, he was appointed his party’s all India General Secretary and in May 2009 became Minister of State in the Shipping Ministry.

When Mamata Banerjee resigned as the Railway Minister after becoming Chief Minister of West Bengal, Roy was handed additional charge of the Railway Ministry.