New jobs, Day 1: Salman says its tough; Trivedi to visit Fatehpur

Soon after he takes oath as Railways minister on Tuesday, Trinamool Congress leader Dinesh Trivedi will be heading to Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh where a train derailed two days ago, killing 68 people.

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.

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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 on Tuesday, 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.

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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.