I am practising austerity for decades: Mamata

NEW DELHI: The government's austerity call may be difficult to follow for some Union ministers, but Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee says she has been practising it for decades.

"Everybody knows the way I live. I whole heartedly welcome measures suggested by Finance Minister. It's nothing new to me and I have been practising it for decades," she said about the austerity measures advised by the Finance Ministry.

Banerjee, who has not yet taken the official car, says she will continue to travel to office in a private vehicle.

The Trinamool Congress chief, staying in a multi-storeyed flat, showed disinclination to move to the ministerial bungalow ignoring calls by her partymen who feel her present accommodation is not enough for official work and meeting party functionaries.

With a jhola (cotton bag) slung over her shoulders and invariably wearing a cotton saree, Mamata wears a trademark 'hawai chappal'.

"She has led by example what austerity means. She always travels in economy class and pays for snacks while at office," says her OSD Ratan Mukherjee adding "she lives like a commoner and stands in queue."

Banerjee says, "I would like to live like a commoner throughout my life because commoners are the strength of the country."

On the cost control measure in railways, she said her ministry is already trading the austerity path to cut down costs. The number of foreign travels have been cut down by 50 per cent while stay at five-star have been discouraged.

There were some opposition to the austerity proposals in the last cabinet meeting.

Commerce Minister Anand Sharma wanted travel by first class in international flights because of long hours of journey and a hike in daily allowance.

Minister for Renewable Energy Resources Farooq Abdullah wanted to know how a tall person like him could travel in economy class, while Pawar said he could have similar problems because of his bulk.