In 2012, Narendra Modi hit out against pre-budget fare hike

NEW DELHI: Ahead of the Union Railway Budget, the government on Friday has sharply raised passenger fares and freight charges. But back in March 2012, Narendra Modi had criticised the UPA government for doing exactly the same.

"Just before Rail Budget UPA has suddenly increased railway freight rates bypassing Parliament. Wrote to PM against this," he tweeted from his verified account on March 7, 2012. The main points of the letter to Manmohan Singh were put up in the form of an article on Modi's own website.

The article says that Modi "expressed his strong indignation at the Centre's sudden decision to hike the Railways freight fare by a whopping 20% through backdoor, just a week before the Railway Budget, diminishing the supremacy of Parliament."

He demanded an immediate withdrawal of the "unnerving hike, as it would cause an unprecedented burden on the common man and indirectly on the nation's economy."

Asked about the stark difference in how Modi felt about pre-Budget fare hikes when in opposition and when in government, sources in the government pointed out that the decision on this round of fare and freight hikes was taken on February 10 by the UPA government, but then the same government said the new government would announce it.

Accordingly, on May 16 - the day the election results came out - the railway board announced the fare and freight hikes but the outgoing railway minister, Mallikarjun Kharge, told the board to hold it till the new government takes charge, the sources pointed out.