Banerjee was authorised by the Trinamool Congress parliamentary party to take appropriate decision at at an appropriate time, party spokesman Sudip Bandopadhyay said here.

He said that except one MP of the party, no other Trinamool Congress member was eager to join the Union Cabinet. Bandopadhyay, who was present during the last week's meeting between Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Mamata Banerjee, said that the issue of Trinamool's participation in the government did not figure at all.

Banerjee mainly requested the Prime Minister to take steps to implement the ``Bengal package'' submitted by her while extending support to the ruling BJP-led coalition. The Trinamool Congress spokesman also refused to make announcement when asked if there was any possibility of hisparty joining the ministry. ``Only Banerjee could take a decision on this issue,'' he said.

Party insiders however said that barring Mamata Banerjee most of the party MPs preferred joining the ministry instead of supporting the government from outside. They argued that even after the nine-month-rule of the BJP-led coalition, most of the demands included in the ``Bengal package'' remained unfulfilled.

Political analysts feel that Banerjee was reluctant to participate in the government as she would not be at liberty to criticise the government on various issues if Trinamool Congress became a part of it. They say apart from this, she was also afraid of losing the minority vote bank in the election. The results of the latest round of Assembly by-polls and the previous by-elections were not encouraging for her party.

Trinamool Congress' electoral ally BJP, on the other hand, said that the former had given indication about its joining the ministry in the next round of reshuffle.

West Bengal BJP preseidentand the party's lone MP from the State, Tapan Sikdar, said that many Trinamool Congress MPs including its spokesman, had expressed willingness to participate in the government. The party might be discussing who would be its nominees in the ministry, he said.

Sikdar, who was a bit critical of Trinamool's decision to support from outside, said they could have done something for West Bengal if the State had representation in the Union Cabinet.