Rail budget eyes polls, says BJP; Congress calls it developmental

July 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Rail Budget for 2009-10 by voice vote after Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee announced some more concessions, few new rail lines and setting up of an expert committee. Replying to a marathon debate on rail budget in the Lok Sabha, Banerjee said an expert committee, headed by Amit Mitra, will prepare a blue print for business plans of railways.

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The ruling Congress said Monday the budget presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee was progressive, but the opposition parties termed it as "routine and inconsequential. "Budget 2009 is progressive, inclusive, growth oriented and balanced.

July 3rd, 2009 KOLKATA - Trinamool Congress chief and Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday lost no opportunity to needle West Bengal's ruling Left Front when she proposed a new rail line from Singur to Nandigram and sops for Lalgarh - areas in the state that have witnessed violent anti-Left agitations. Exhibiting shrewd political sense in her wide array of proposals for West Bengal in the 2009-10 rail budget, arguably the highest sops the state has got since independence, Banerjee Friday let go no opportunity to woo her votebank with an eye to the 2011 state polls.

July 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - It has been dubbed a populist budget by critics but the rail budget presented Friday by Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee has enough goodies targeted at the ordinary rail traveller: - No increase in fares - New 'izzat' scheme for poor to travel up to 100 km for Rs.25 - Low-cost, air-conditioned 'yuva trains' for youth at Rs.299-Rs.399 - New scheme for good quality food at affordable prices - Special Trains to ferry perishable farm produce, rural craft - Promise of clean toilets, potable water at stations, trains - Tatkal scheme made more passenger-friendly, service charge cut to Rs.100 - New scheme for poor passengers to travel with 'dignity' - A doctor at your service in every long-distance train - 50 stations to be upgraded into world class facilities - 12 new non-stop trains between key stations

July 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Accusing Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on doing nothing new in the rail budget, Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad on Friday said that she had used his achievements in the ministry to build her case. "Is this a budget? She has just read out what I had announced during my stint...She suffers from a complex," he said.

July 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Left parties were divided in their reaction to the railway budget unveiled by their bete noire Mamata Banerjee here Friday, with the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) welcoming parts of it and the Communist Party of India (CPI) slamming it. The main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) called the budget impractical.

July 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has arrived in Parliament to present a "pro-people" budget today. Before arriving at Parliament, Mamata said, "It will be a pro-people budget, a simple budget, people's budget." She said that she only got 15 days to work on it, as the concerned officials were busy preparing it.

July 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday taunted the Left for calling her rail budget a "manifesto" for the West Bengal assembly polls of 2011, retorting "why not in 2009"? "You asked me a political question and I gave you a political answer," she told reporters after presenting the rail budget. Asked about Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Basudeb Acharya's comment that the rail budget she presented in parliament was a "manifesto for the 2011 elections in West Bengal", Banerjee said she was ready to face elections this very year.

July 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee will present a "pro-people" budget today. Talking to reporters here, Mamata said, "It will be a pro-people budget, a simple budget, people's budget." She said that she only got 15 days to work on it, as the concerned officials were busy preparing it.

July 3rd, 2009 KOLKATA - "Its a budget for maa, mati, manush (mother, motherland and people)," is how a jubliant Trinamool Congress worker described party chief and Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee's rail budget presented Friday. Trinamool workers in West Bengal cheered the budget and said it will lead the party to victory in the next assembly polls.

July 3rd, 2009 RAIPUR - Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh has said the rail budget for the current fiscal presented in parliament Friday is "disappointing" as it offered nothing but three new trains to the mineral rich state. Durg-Jaipur, Bilaspur-Hyderabad and Ambikapur-Jabalpur are the three new trains the state has got in the budget presented by Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee.

July 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that the railway budget would be a "pro-people" budget. "It will be a pro-people budget, a simple budget, people's budget," Banerjee said after an all-party meeting here.

February 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) along with the Samajwadi Party criticised the railway budget Friday, saying it was presented with an eye to the elections, but the ruling Congress insisted it was a developmental and pro-people package. The BJP said the budget was unrealistic.

February 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Minister for Railways Lalu Prasad is set to present to parliament the country's interim rail budget for the next fiscal Friday, with an assurance that he will not ignore people's welfare and that average citizens will be spared a fare hike. 'We cannot make many new programmes in this budget, but be assured the welfare of common people will be taken care of.

February 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Railways Minister Lalu Prasad is set to present the country's interim rail budget for the next fiscal in parliament Friday, with an expectation that he would once again spare the average citizen from fare hikes and introduce some new trains. The minister had presented all the five previous rail budgets for the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government since 2004, during which he set a record of sorts in terms of generating revenues despite lowering fares.