Chennai:
Mamata Banerjee today presented her fifth Rail Budget. The Railways is severely cash-strapped, but many new projects have been announced and there have been no fare hikes, for Didi has her eyes fixed firmly on the West Bengal elections.
Mamata Banerjee has come in for sharp criticism from the Left; the AIADMK has also joined the chorus.
Jayalalithaa accused Mamata Banerjee of hijacking national resources. She issued a statement on Mamata's Rail Budget.
The statement has been pasted below:
Union Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee's third Railways Budget is a common man's budget to the extent that it does not envisage any hike in passenger rates. Several new projects have been announced. However, with most of the schemes announced in last year's budget remaining unimplemented, the Union Railways Minister's track record for project implementation is rather uninspiring. The Railways Ministry's finances are in the doldrums. Nothing imaginative has been done to raise additional revenue. This would inflict huge damage on the national economy and push the world's largest railways network to the brink.
Tamil Nadu has nothing much to exult about. Barring a few suburban trains and a couple of Duranto expresses, no new trains have been announced for the State.
Mamata Banerjee has predictably presented the Nation's Railways Budget, 2011, keeping the Assembly Elections in her home state in mind. She has announced major projects for Nandigram and Singur where she had launched a successful political battle some years ago. The overwhelming impression that a national resource has been hijacked by the Minister to serve local political ends cannot be dispelled nor denied.