Target set by Lalu Prasad unrealistically high: Banerjee

August 18th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Tuesday met Congress president Sonia Gandhi and dismissed reports of differences with her. "All talk of differences is wrong.

July 10th, 2009 NEW DELHI - In yet another sign of his declining fortunes, former railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav said Friday he had no problem in sitting on the back benches during the Lok Sabha proceedings if a place could not be found for him in the front row. "I will follow the speaker's direction.

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.

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 - Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee and her predecessor Lalu Prasad Friday engaged in a war of words over the rail budget. While Banerjee termed the targets fixed by him in his interim rail budget as "unrealistically high", Lalu Prasad said she suffered from a "complex".

July 2nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Amidst much speculation and expectations, Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday gave final touches to the rail budget, to be presented in parliament Friday. Shifting from the claims of high surplus by her predecessor Lalu Prasad, Banerjee has maintained from the day she assumed charge that her focus would be on improving passenger amenities and rationalisation of services such as Tatkal (instant ticketing) service.

June 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday hinted at the withdrawal of the free lifetime pass issued to her predecessor Lalu Prasad to travel in first class air-conditioned coaches with three companions. "This kind of misuse must not happen," Banerjee told reporters here when asked for her comments on the order passed by the Railway Board that extended the largesse to Lalu Prasad.

May 16th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav on Saturday admitted that not supporting the Congress was a mistake. "It's the mandate for the people," Lalu said, adding that he harbored no grudges against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

April 18th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Saturday said it would complain before the Election Commission against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad's allegedly 'abusive' remarks about its prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani. Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Friday told a rally in Darbhanga, Bihar, that the BJP and Advani were responsible for the 1992 demolition of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya.

March 25th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Samajwadi Party General Secretary Amar Singh today said that party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad may join hands, and added that the SP also wants Ram Vila Paswan to come on board. "There is likelihood of Lalu Prasad and Mulayam Singh Yadav coming together.

March 23rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Railway Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Sunday said that if he were the country's home minister, Varun Gandhi would have been jailed for his speeches in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit constituency. 'Had I been the home minister, I would have put Varun Gandhi behind the bars,' Lalu Prasad told reporters here.

February 28th, 2009 PATNA - Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Friday inaugurated an ambitious plan to build 36,500 km of roads to connect villages in Bihar. At a function here Lalu inaugurated the plan to connect villages under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY).

February 25th, 2009 NEW DELHI -Railway Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Prasad Tuesday described as 'nonsense' a report that he would not spare more than 13 Lok Sabha seats to his allies in Bihar. 'All this is media fabrication.

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 22nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Saturday described the Left as a 'permanent friend' and that his Rashtraiya Janata Dal (RJD) may contest elections in alliance with the communists. 'They (Left) are our permanent friends and they will remain our friends.