Trivedi to Fatehpur, Salman says tough job

Sources said Trivedi will visit Fatehpur, about 120 km from Lucknow, after the oath-taking ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. This will be his first assignment as Railways Minister.

Trivedi, till now Minister of State for Health, will be taking over as Railway Minister after his party chief Mamata Banerjee resigned from the post when she became West Bengal Chief Minister. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was holding the Railway portfolio after Banerjee resigned.

Sixty-eight people, including two Swedish nationals, were killed when the Delhi-bound Kalka Mail derailed near Malwan station on Sunday.

Incidentally, Trivedi`s party colleague and Minister of State Mukul Roy, who was divested of Railways portfolio in the Cabinet reshuffle today, had two days ago defied Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by not visiting another train accident site in Assam as directed by him.

On his new assignment, Trivedi was confident that he will come out with flying colours and justify his promotion.

"I am grateful to my party and Banerjee for having given me this opportunity," he said.

New Law Minister Salman Khurshid said his new assignment is a "tough" one. "In today`s circumstances, it is a big responsibility. I am really honoured. In coming three years, we have to work hard in every field. In law area also, we have to work hard," he said.

Rajiv Shukla, the new Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, said he has a "crucial job" in hand of managing the parties under guidance of Cabinet Minister P K Bansal.

"We will try our best. It is a difficult job. We would try to ensure a much peaceful Monsoon session," Shukla said.

He said he will reach out to BJP and other parties to ensure smooth functioning of the Parliament.