Mamata calls for a free for all discussion on rail budget

NEW DELHI, FEB 7: Furious over being forced to raise passenger fares and freight by the Prime Minister and the Union Finance Minister, Rai...

NEW DELHI, FEB 7: Furious over being forced to raise passenger fares and freight by the Prime Minister and the Union Finance Minister, Railway Minister Mamata Bannerjee has decided to call a meeting of leaders of all the political parties to discuss the forthcoming Rail Budget, to be tabled by her later this month.

This is first time that a Railway Minister has called for a meeting of leaders of ruling and the Opposition alliances to discuss the budget and that too in the conference hall of the Rail Bhawan.

The meeting will be held on February 9 and invitations have been sent to all the leaders with a request to attend or depute representative instead.

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Mamata Bannerrjee is determined not to tax the passengers any more particularly in the wake of the ensuing Assembly elections in West Bengal.

However, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee made it clear at Lucknow the other day that rail budget would be harsh. He said so in the presence of Mamata Banerjee.

She kept her cool there. However, soon after returning to Delhi, she made a statement that there was no question of raising the fare.

But Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha held a prolonged discussion with her earlier this week on the budgetary support to her Ministry. It was made clear that due to hike in the diesel prices alone, the railways are suffering an annual loss of Rs 400 crore. And the same has not been passed on to the passengers and that the government could no longer afford extra subsidy.

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To this Mamata responded by saying that expansion and modernisation of the network could wait. The private sector could be asked to invest. It was perhaps because of this very reason that thee government constituted an expert committee under Sam Pitroda to suggest and ways to modernise Railways.

Sources close to Mamata say that the proposal to call an all-party meet on rail budget is to get political support to her desire not to tax the passengers. Mamata is likely to use the opportunity and pressurise the PM and the government not to insist on raising taxes.

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