Mamata''s outbursts, couplets add spice to Rail Budget speech

New Delhi, Feb 25 (PTI) It may have been seriousbusiness that Mamata Banerjee was conducting but her trademarkoratory skills, punctuated by couplets and angry outbursts,provided enough spice to the presentation of the RailwayBudget in the Lok Sabha today.

The Railway Minister joked, broke into poetry and evenlost her cool during her 90-minute budget speech.

"Dhyan se suno (listen carefully)... sab hai isme(everything is there in the budget)," she kept telling memberswho wanted to know the proposals for their respective states.

As some members persisted with enquiries and comments,the agitated Minister lost her temper a number of times.

"What is this?" she repeated several time.

Intermittently, she would tell the members, "Don''t shout,don''t shout."

At one point, she commented angrily, "I cannot satisfyeverybody".

Banerjee, who is aspiring to be the next ChiefMinister of poll-bound West Bengal, however, defended theattention she was paying to her state through railway schemes.

Irritated by the repeated interruptions, she even satdown at one point of time, refusing to continue the budgetspeech. She turned to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who wasseated next to her, apparently conveying her unhappiness.

This was when members from Bihar, Punjab and AndhraPradesh wanted to know what schemes she had for their statesand alleged that she was showing favour to her native WestBengal.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Bansal and hisformer deputy V Narayansamy then walked to the oppositionbenches and tried to pacify the JD(U) members, some of whomhad rushed to the well of the House.

Banerjee was also asked by JD(U) members from Biharabout the status of projects announced last year.

"This is not a press conference," the Minister said,showing her exasperation.

Providing some lighter moments, Banerjee read coupletslike, "Hum aah bhi bharte hai to ho jaate hai badnaam, wohkatl bhi karte hai to charcha nahi hoti (Even a sigh from meinvites a bad name while even if they commit a murder it isnot discussed)."

The Railway Minister also quoted lines of a patrioticsong ''Aye mere watan ke logon'' from film ''Haqeeqat'' sung byLata Mangeshkar.