Delayed Rly minister Sadananda Gowda holds up debate on rail budget in Rajya Sabha
When RS was to discuss the rail budget, Sadananda Gowda was found missing, forcing the chair to adjourn the House for five minutes.
By TNN | Updated:
NEW DELHI: It seems the railways' endemic problem with punctuality extends to railway ministers too.
When Rajya Sabha was to discuss the rail budget on Tuesday afternoon, rail minister Sadananda Gowda was found missing, forcing the chair to adjourn the House for five minutes.
Soon after the upper House met after lunch to continue the discussion on rail budget, former minister and Congress MP Jairam Ramesh drew the chair's attention to the missing minister. He was supported by CPM member P Rajeeve who said, "There is no minister, forget railway minister."
When the House re-assembled, Gowda appeared and apologized for his absence but Ramesh was not impressed and demanded that the government be admonished. "Sir, you used to scold us. But you never scold them," Ramesh told the chair.
Reacting to Ramesh's comment, Gowda said, "Sir, at least the delay has been minimized now, unlike earlier days."
This was the second instance when the railway minister left the Narendra Modi government embarrassed. Gowda was found missing in Lok Sabha when the lower House was to discuss the rail budget. The government had to face some embarrassing moments after the opposition benches took exception to the fact that the minister was absent.
In the upper House, the discussion resumed after an apology from Gowda. However, TMC MP Derek O'Brien took a dig at Gowda, saying, "Sir, you walked in five minutes late and we, in very good spirit, accepted your heartfelt apology."
During the discussion, a strong pitch was made for doing away with the rail budget with a few members saying it was a colonial era practice not relevant anymore.
"The railway budget is a colonial idea whose time is over. Today, railway expenditure accounts for only 6% of the general expenditure of the government... Why should we have a separate budget for the railways," said Ramesh, urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the railway minister to give "serious thought" to the idea of abolishing the separate budget for railways.
He noted the separate budget as "the root cause" of the financial disaster in the railways, saying that as long as the practice remained, the turnaround of the railways was not possible.
When Rajya Sabha was to discuss the rail budget on Tuesday afternoon, rail minister Sadananda Gowda was found missing, forcing the chair to adjourn the House for five minutes.
Soon after the upper House met after lunch to continue the discussion on rail budget, former minister and Congress MP Jairam Ramesh drew the chair's attention to the missing minister. He was supported by CPM member P Rajeeve who said, "There is no minister, forget railway minister."
When the House re-assembled, Gowda appeared and apologized for his absence but Ramesh was not impressed and demanded that the government be admonished. "Sir, you used to scold us. But you never scold them," Ramesh told the chair.
Reacting to Ramesh's comment, Gowda said, "Sir, at least the delay has been minimized now, unlike earlier days."
This was the second instance when the railway minister left the Narendra Modi government embarrassed. Gowda was found missing in Lok Sabha when the lower House was to discuss the rail budget. The government had to face some embarrassing moments after the opposition benches took exception to the fact that the minister was absent.
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In the upper House, the discussion resumed after an apology from Gowda. However, TMC MP Derek O'Brien took a dig at Gowda, saying, "Sir, you walked in five minutes late and we, in very good spirit, accepted your heartfelt apology."
During the discussion, a strong pitch was made for doing away with the rail budget with a few members saying it was a colonial era practice not relevant anymore.
"The railway budget is a colonial idea whose time is over. Today, railway expenditure accounts for only 6% of the general expenditure of the government... Why should we have a separate budget for the railways," said Ramesh, urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the railway minister to give "serious thought" to the idea of abolishing the separate budget for railways.
He noted the separate budget as "the root cause" of the financial disaster in the railways, saying that as long as the practice remained, the turnaround of the railways was not possible.
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