Branding this year’s Rail Budget as “election Budget” is in fact a validation of it being a good budget even by her political detractors. That’s what railway minister Mamata Banerjee feels.
Soon after presenting her third consecutive Rail Budget (which according to many, could be her last, given the prospects of her party’s coming to power in West Bengal after the state Assembly polls, due in April-May), a seemingly relaxed, confident and jovial Ms Banerjee called the visiting journalists from Kolkata separately to her room.
She responded to several queries from Financial Chronicle sitting in her Rail Bhavan room.
With the help of colloquial Bengali phrases and impromptu couplets she tried to drive home that she had given an “innovative development direction” to Railways, which is something for posterity. The excerpts:
Q: Opposition parties, including the BJP, your one-time political ally, have branded this as a pure election budget. What would you say?
A: Politicians only do good things before the election. Don’t they? So calling it an election budget means I have done something good. You may call it a criticism, but I look at it positively. I think such observation is a validation of the fact that this is a good Budget even by my opponents. If they had found some flaws or negative aspects, wouldn’t have they shouted about those? It means they do not have anything other than this to say.
Q: It may be good, but it only focuses on Bengal, that’s what they are trying to say.
A: Yes I have tried to do something for my state. I have given a new Duronto (Sealdah-Puri), Vivekananda Express, 50 additional services for Kolkata Suburban Railway, announced Kolkata Metro expansion, industrial park at Nandigram, Metro coach factory at Singur, track machine industry at Uluberia, software development centre in Darjeeling, workshop training centre and so on. I am telling you I’ve actually given more than I could read on the floor of the House. Read it yourself and find out. What is wrong in it? I am proud of my home state and I will do whatever is possible. Bengal had been deprived for long so let it get its due. Having said that, I must also mention that I have tried to offer something for all regions and states.
Q: So in short how you yourself will describe this Rail Budget?
A: This is a Budget for the people, for the country, for industry, for the unemployed youth. This has actually given an innovative development direction. It’s a creative budget in every sense of the term. I have not raised fares (in fact done away with reservation charges), have introduced as many new trains as I could, announced new projects, talked of filling up railway’s vacancies thereby addressing the issue of employment, announced so many social welfare programmes. While doing all these, we have also been paying regular dividends to the government. Isn’t it a fitting reply to those who always bill me as ignorant, often as anti-industry? Let them (read the Left leaders) take a tip or two from me. Have you noticed that I have also introduced a performance review mechanism in Railways by way of promising new trains and new projects to sectors, who will perform better. I have also tried to send a strong signal to those who always set Railways and Railways’ properties on fire and play with so many innocent lives. We are not going to tolerate this any longer. This will also take care of the punctuality issue.
Q: When you talk of punctuality, what about frequent rail blockades?
A: Thankfully, those who do it, will no longer be there. People will throw them (read the Left in Bengal).
Q: It sounds good when you call it a creative Budget or talk of innovative development direction, but what actually is this creative way forward?
A: You take it from me, going forward Railways will be offering oxygen to government organisations who are in dire need of that. You must have noticed how Railways recently came to the rescue of companies like Burn Standard, Braithwaite & Company and so on. There are some who want to kill us by constant sabotaging and we are here not only to survive and grow, but also to help others grow.