Mamata-Maneka spat in House

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday took strong exception to BJP member Maneka Gandhi’s remarks that the Railways was “the biggest smuggler” of wildlife,saying the comment was “unfair”. Banerjee got angry when Gandhi asked during Question Hour in Lok Sabha what the Railway Ministry was doing to prevent smuggling of cattle and wildlife by trains from West Bengal to Bangladesh.

“I am sorry these comments are made by the honourable member. I respect the member. But the comment is unfair,” the Railway Minister said. However,she said,if the member had a specific complaint,her Ministry would look into it. On cargo handling,she said the Railways had incentives for freight forwarders,benefiting traders. She said the freight schemes were “user-friendly” and cargo was booked on the basis of a fowarding note executed by consignors.