Rail Budget 2013: PM terms Budget reformist; Opposition says it's 'discriminatory'

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh termed the railway budget as ‘reformist’ and ‘forward-looking’, but the Opposition said it was ‘discriminatory’ and slammed it for increasing the burden on the common man. Singh said railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal had done a commendable job in meeting competing demands of improving services and controlling expenditure and complimented Bansal for his ‘innovations’ in critical areas of railway infrastructure and paving the way for capacity expansion.

“It is a reformist and forward-looking budget which presents a realistic picture of railway finances,” the PM said. UPA’s outside supporters SP and BSP were unhappy, saying the rail budget was anti-poor and ignored areas of Uttar Pradesh which need rail infrastructure for economic development, while Left parties said it did not give any hope for railways’ future.

BJP leader Gopinath Munde said it was more of a ‘Rae Bareli budget’, claiming it has favoured Sonia Gandhi’s constituency while SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said it was a, “budget for Congress”. Munde claimed NDA ruled states were discriminated against. “Especially, Bihar, MP, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh have been totally ignored and there are no new schemes for these states.

This budget is for Amethi, Rae Bareli and Chandigarh. This is a discriminatory budget,” he said. BJP MP Yashwant Sinha, described the railway budget as “very, very pedestrian” and a “political budget” aimed at the forthcoming general elections. BSP chief Mayawati said the budget was a disappointment. “The poor and middle classes will not benefit much from it... Fare has been hiked through backdoor,” she said.

“Government says it will review the fares twice a year. A review only means an increase in fares. The government will never decrease fares. This will affect the poor and the middle class,” she said. CPM leader Sitaram Yechury said: “The budget appears to be populist, but it is not one... there is hike in all accessory charges and passengers fares will go up.” Congress said Bansal’s maiden exercise was one of the best in independent India.

“It is my considered opinion that it is one of the best budgets ever tabled in Parliament,” party spokesman Rashid Alvi said. Rae Bareli is the constituency of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. Accusing the Opposition of playing negative politics by attacking the budget, he said Bansal has presented the budget keeping into consideration the interests of the common man and therefore has not raised fares.