Railway budget meets out "step-motherly" treatment to TN: Jayalithaa

CHENNAI: Expressing disappointment over the Railway budget, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalithaa today said it reflected the "step-motherly" treatment of the Congress-led UPA government towards her state but took 'satisfaction' that it was only an interim budget.

"There is nothing in the Railway Budget for the people of Tamil Nadu to cheer about. But I take satisfaction in the fact that it is only an interim Budget and the main Railway Budget to be presented in June, 2014, by a new Government will undoubtedly reflect the aspirations of the people of Tamil Nadu," she said apparently hinting at a change of guard in Delhi.

"Very few new train connections have been announced for Tamil Nadu. Most of the new benefits are confined to the Northern parts of the country and this highlights the UPA's step-motherly treatment of the South and Tamil Nadu in particular," she said in a statement here.

The proposal for a Railway Tariff Authority "seems to be a ploy to shift the onus of fixing tariffs to a separate body and disowning responsibility for fixing tariffs for a mode of transportation used by the common people."

"The UPA Government is, as usual, trying to distance itself from tariff hikes as in the case of diesel and petrol prices," Jayalalithaa, a vocal critic of the UPA, said.

The real 'highlight' was the disruption by UPA Ministers during the presentation of the budget, she remarked sarcastically.

"This, perhaps, was the most telling statement on how ineffective the UPA Government has been and the extent to which frustration with the Government has grown even within the Congress party and within the Government and amongst its own Ministers. This reflects the total failure of the UPA Government and governance," she said.