Tags:
Journalism of Courage
New Rly Minister reverses predecessors brave new budget; all that UPA says: we cant do a thing
The 20 per cent hike in aam admi railway fares was a leap of faith for former railway minister Dinesh Trivedi and a lifeline to the Indian Railways. The logic behind this decade-long overdue hike is that general-class passengers account for 95 per cent of traffic. Without a radical increase in revenue,inefficient IR would merely complete its journey to bankruptcy faster,along an accident-laden track. However,Trivedis brave new railway budget is already history,in most of its essentials. New Railway Minister Mukul Roy has announced the roll back of the hike,except for first and second AC coaches. Of course,it matters to neither Roy nor his arch-populist boss Mamata Banerjee,that they are on the wrong side of public opinion and reason on this. Moreover,Trivedis budget had the backing of railway unions.
For the record,therefore,the PM has allowed himself and his cabinet to suffer a gigantic insult and damage at the hands of an ally that has torpedoed,relentlessly,every major policy initiative. The Congress has also failed so far to work out an alternative with the SP or the BSP to bypass the TMCs blackmailing and bullying. Given its deep coalition crisis and policy paralysis,does UPA 2 propose to pass the remainder of its term put upon by every despotic demand without a rudimentary political will to do what it knows is necessary? Maybe,Mamata Banerjee has an answer.
