Echo of accident: Mamata's resignation rejected

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, DEC. 4. The Railway Minister, Ms. Mamata Banerjee, today sent in her resignation from the Union Cabinet, owning moral responsibility for last Saturday's train accident in Punjab, in which as many as 43 passengers were killed.

But the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, promptly rejected the resignation. Talking to reporters at the Navy Day function, he said, ``I have declined to accept the resignation of Ms. Mamata Banerjee.''

In her letter, the Minister said, ``as head of the 16- lakh railway family I can neither escape nor wish to avoid moral responsibility for this great human misery.'' Ms. Banerjee referred to the ``soul searching'' she had undertaken since the accident and that the resignation was ``an adequate response'' to that soul searching.

So clear, apparently, was the Prime Minister about how to respond to the letter that he did not feel the need to call the Minister in for a chat, and had, instead, conveyed it to her that she was to continue in the Council of Ministers. On her part, Ms. Banerjee was careful not even to hint in her statement in the Lok Sabha that she was owning up ``moral responsibility'' for the accident.

Talking to mediapersons in the Parliament House complex, Ms. Banerjee did not offer any excuses. ``It was a failure. A failure is a failure. Though I do not run the Railways but look after only the administration and policy issues, I feel hurt even if one person is killed in an accident. My conscience is heavy because of this accident and I take moral responsibility.''

The Minister also acknowledged that she had been petitioning the Union Finance Minister for more funds for safety works. ``I have been fighting for more money for safety. But I do not blame the Finance Minister as he is facing similar demands from other sectors. I have tried my best and even got the allocation for track renewal enhanced substantially. Now the government will have to pay extra attention to the safety factor on the railways.''

Nonetheless, Ms. Banerjee maintained she was grateful to ``all political parties except CPI(M)'' for sympathising with her.

The Minister also assertively rejected any suggestion that her frequent trips of West Bengal (mostly for political purposes) had interfered with her ministerial assignment. ``Tell me which Minister has given more time than me. I have not gone abroad, even to Sri Lanka, unlike several other Ministers. My party has suffered because I have devoted so much time to the railways. I have tried my best.''

Reporters confused

UNI, PTI report:

The use of the word aswikaar (not accepted) by Mr. Vajpayee on the resignation of Ms. Banerjee confused mediapersons who heard it as swikaar (accepted).

Reporters, including those from the electronic media, were taken aback by the Prime Minister's reply as earlier in the day his office had said Ms. Banerjee's resignation had not been accepted.

An aide of the Prime Minister, who saw mediapersons ringing up their offices to flash the news, went up to Mr. Vajpayee to clarify and found he had actually said aswikaar.

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