Kolkata/New Delhi, July 12 (IANS) Trinamool Congress MP Mukul Roy, party chief Mamata Banerjee's Man Friday who had defied Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, was not only denied a cabinet rank Tuesday but also shunted out as minister of state for railways.
Roy now only retains the shipping portfolio as a junior minister. He proved controversial after failing to visit the sites of Sunday's two big train disasters - in Uttar Pradesh and Assam - in defiance of Manmohan Singh's directive.
Roy is also not believed to be on the best of terms with Dinesh Trivedi, who Tuesday became the new railway minister.
The low-profile Roy is seen as the key person who built the Trinamool organisation from scratch and in keeping the party intact despite a series of poor electoral performances between 2001 and 2006.
A party general secretary, 57-year-old Roy is the only Trinamool minister from the Rajya Sabha. He has been a minister of state for shipping since mid 2009, a post he got for his unflinching loyalty to Banerjee since the birth of the party in 1998.
A graduate, Roy has been a member of the upper house since 2006. He is an avid fan of soccer giant Mohun Bagan. His son Subhrangshu is a member of the West Bengal assembly.
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