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M Chhaya in Kolkata
The Trinamool Congress, which strained relations with the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance coalition over the issue of the Eastern Railway bifurcation, will sit on the treasury bench in the winter session of Parliament beginning on Monday.
The decision to sit with the ruling NDA partners is significant, as it removes speculations that the party would formally walk out of the alliance.
Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee said Saturday that her party had decided to stay on with the NDA after getting a 'positive response' from the ruling coalition over the issue of the bifurcation.
The party held a working committee meeting during the day to discuss the issue of remaining in the NDA.
Banerjee said NDA convenor George Fernandes had called her up twice to invite her to come to Delhi for talks with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the railway revamp issue.
"George Fernandes told me that he knew the party's sentiments on the railway bifurcation and appealed to us not to take any immediate decision on parting ways with the NDA," Banerjee said, adding the NDA partners wanted an amicable solution.
Banerjee said she would speak to Vajpayee if invited to. "We support the process of discussions because even if we get some of our demands fulfilled, it will be victory for the people of West Bengal."
She also said that a TC team would meet Vajpayee, Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani and Finance Minister Jaswant Singh to discuss the lowering of interest rates on small savings, which had caused inconvenience to the common people.
The party would also urge the government to scrap the 'anti-people' recommendations of the Kelkar Committee on tax reforms, she added.
She, however, handed out veiled threat to the NDA saying: "If nothing comes out of the discussions, we can again meet and take a fresh decision."
The talks could take place within next week, party sources said.
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