Kolkata, July 04: with the speculation of another round of reshuffle in the union cabinet, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee today said it was upto Prime Minister to decide on her inclusion in the ministry.
Expressing full faith in Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, she said "it was upto him to take a decision".
The Trinamool chief, who was annoyed with the BJP leadership for offering a berth to Sudip Bandopadhyay, her Bete Noire, in the ministry during the last reshuffle, however, praised the prime minister, describing him as an 'exceptional man and a seasoned politician'. "I hold Vajpayeeji in high esteem", she said, adding "Our full support to the prime minister was there and we will continue to extend our support to him". Banerjee said she would request Vajpayee, who is arriving here on July 16 to attend a function, to address a joint Panchayat convention to be attended by the elected representatives from both the Trinamool Congress and BJP.

She also talked of strengthening the NDA saying that her party would fight against marxists jointly with the BJP.

Bureau Report