By allowing one Mamata Banerjee appointee to roll back fare hikes implemented by another, the government has surrendered its reformist instincts at the altar of 'coalition dharma'. On March 14, Dinesh Trivedi, then-railway minister, presented a budget that was forward-looking : it had many plans about how to turn the Railways around. It also proposed modest fare hikes across all classes of passengers, the first such hike in 10 years.