Lalu accuses NDA of ‘plotting’ to privatise railways

September 18th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee has said an external agency would probe allegations of graft during her predecessor's tenure. Lawmakers belonging to Bihar's Janata Dal (United) had alleged that that during the tenure of former Railways Minister Lalu Prasad, people were asked to cede land to the railways in exchange for jobs and contracts in the organisation.

July 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Saturday said the country was awaiting the white paper promised by Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee on the railways' performance in the last five years. Banerjee told parliament July 3 that she would come out with a white paper on the actual performance of the railways in the past five years when Lalu Prasad headed the ministry.

July 7th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Former railways minister Lalu Prasad Tuesday urged his successor Mamata Banerjee to prepare a report on his tenure within seven days and added that he was prepared to apologise to the nation if any irregularities were found. "Within seven days, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) officials, railway officials and planning commission officials should be called and a report should be published on my tenure, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad said in the Lok Sabha during a discussion on the railway budget.

May 16th, 2009 PATNA - Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad has tasted victory and defeat in the same breath Saturday - winning one Lok Sabha seat and losing another one. Lalu Prasad won the Saran seat beating Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) heavyweight Rajiv Pratap Rudy.

April 20th, 2009 PATNA - Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) president Anil Kumar Sharma today accused Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav of plotting 1989 Bhagalpur riots and protecting the main conspirers. "The riots in Bhagalpur were pre-planned.

February 25th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A new book explaining how the second largest railway network in the world is managing disasters - both man-made and natural - was released here Tuesday. Railways Minister Lalu Prasad released the book, titled 'Disaster Management in the Indian Railways', written by Minister of State for Railways R.

February 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Monday announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs.500,000 to the next of kin of those killed in the Orissa train derailment and employment to one of their dependents. 'I have ordered payment of ex-gratia of Rs.500,000 to the next of kin of each deceased, Rs.50,000 to grievously injured and Rs.10,000 to simple injured...

February 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The financial transformation of the Indian Railways - which registered a huge turnover this fiscal - is different from the private sector that resorts to 'anti-people measures', Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav claimed while presenting the interim railway budget in the Lok Sabha Friday. 'The transformation of the railways is fundamentally different from the financial turnaround witnessed in private sector companies,' Lalu said in his budget speech here.

February 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Indian Railways will likely get Rs.200 billion (Rs.20,000 crore/$4 billion) from Japan for their rail freight corridor project, Railways Minister Lalu Prasad said here Friday. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will release the funds by the end of 2009, Lalu Prasad told reporters after presenting the interim railway budget.

January 31st, 2009 PATNA - Love has a new adversary. It's Railways Minister Lalu Prasad, the rustic charmer, who has come out against love marriages, saying youngsters ought marry according to their parents' wishes.

January 31st, 2009 PATNA - Railways Minister Lalu Prasad is set to gift his home district, Gopalganj in Bihar, a railway division before the next Lok Sabha polls. After Lalu Prasad's ancestral village Phulwaria is connected with his wife and former chief minister Rabri Devi's Salar Kalan village, Lalu now plans to give another rare gift to Bihar by announcing the establishment of a railway division in Thawe at Gopalganj.

January 26th, 2009 RAE BARELI - Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Tuesday launched the country's third rail coach factory here at a cost of Rs.20 billion ($408 million), promising jobs to at least 8,000 people. 'The rail coach factory will serve the nation's biggest need - creating jobs.

January 26th, 2009 RAE BARELI - United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi Tuesday launched a Rs.20 billion ($408 million) rail coach factory in her parliamentary constituency, Rae Bareli. 'The rail coach factory will serve the nation's biggest need - creating jobs.

January 25th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Monday announced a compensation of Rs.100,000 to the next of kin of the 12 people killed in a rail accident in Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh a day earlier. The accident, at Unchahar in Rae Bareli distict, occurred when a tractor-trolley was hit by the Kanpur-Allahabad passenger train while passing through an unmanned railway crossing level crossing.

January 22nd, 2009 RANCHI - Indian Railways Friday paid tributes to freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose by renaming a railway station in Jharkhand after him. Railways Minister Lalu Prasad announced the new name of the Gomo railway station that comes under the Dhanbad railway division.