NEW DELHI/KOLKATA: Ending his defiance and bringing to a close five-day drama after he incurred the wrath of TMC for hiking passenger fares in the Railway Budget, Dinesh Trivedi on Sunday resigned as railway minister. Senior TMC leader Mukul Roy will be the new railway minister, sources said.

Trivedi (61), who on Saturday insisted that he would not resign unless his party chief Mamata Banerjee directed him to do so in writing, told reporters in Delhi that he called her up to confirm the real position.

"She did tell me that it was the party’s decision that I must step down and since the party, Trinamool Congress, was instrumental in making me the railway minister and Mamata Banerjee’s instructions were very clear that it is the party which has decided and like a soldier I must obey the party’s discipline. That is the way I have been trained."

Trivedi’s decision is understood to have come after a word from the PMO to him to quit. The Congress leadership and the Prime Minister had assured Mamata that her demand for replacing Trivedi will be acceded after the presentation of the general budget on Friday last.

In Kolkata, Mamata, the West Bengal chief minister, confirmed the development saying Trivedi called her to tell her that he was resigning.

"He(Trivedi) called me and he told me that he will abide by the party decision and send his resignation," Mamata said.

She also said that Trivedi told him that he will remain with the party.

In his virtual farewell comments, Trivedi said, "I must thank the party leader Mamata Banerjee and the entire cabinet and the Prime Minister Manmohan Singhji for giving me this opportunity.

Dinesh Trivedi had been insistent till now that he would not quit his post unless he got a written order from Mamata. He said on Sunday that the Railway Ministry could not be treated as somebody’s property, although, he added that he had full regards for the Trinamool Congress supremo.

(Inputs from PTI)