Lalu's Railway budget evokes mixed responses

New Delhi, Feb 26: Lalu Prasad's Rail Budget today drew wide appreciation from the Congress which termed it ''fabulous'' but evoked flak from the BJP.

The Congress said the budget showed Rs 20,000 crore profit and was growth oriented in which train fares were reduced for all as well as no hike had been made in the train fare nor in the freight rates.

Rather the fare had been reduced somewhat, Congress Spokesperson Jayanti Natrajan said reacting to the Railway Budget.

Senior Congress leader and Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters that no previous Railway Minister had presented such a budget which Mr Lalu Prasad had done and stated that the overall picture of the Railway budget was very good and the Railway Minister had moved in the right direction.

He said in the new budget space had been increased by new trains and coaches and adding wagons. Wooden sleepers have been replaced and many other facilities been provided.

However, the Left parties and the Samajwadi Party did not share this optimism of the Congress and said the budget had not done much for the common man and showed that the Railways were moving towards privatisation.

The Left parties found the Rail Budget lacking in increasing new connectivity and augmenting the existing services and said it laid emphasis on privatisation.

They, however, complimented Mr Prasad for sparing ''fresh burden'' on the people and for the surchage cut among other things.

They hailed Mr Yadav for his ''courageous presentation'' of the Budget proposals, but observed that he could have utilised the Rs 6000 crore profit in a much better way like constructing new rail lines, maintaining the existing ones and not allowing privatisation of certain railway services.

At a press conference, CPI(M) leaders Sitaram Yechury and Party Floor leader in the Lok Sabha Basudeb Acharia, said the privatisation move was linked directly to the safety aspect.

''We will move amendments to some of these proposals,'' Mr Yechury said.

Mr Acharia, who is also the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Railways, demanded the scrapping of the Safety Surcharge, withdrawal of levy of Rs 20 from the passengers boarding the upgraded Superfast trains and laying of more thrust on public participation in the management of the Railways.

CPI senior leader Gurudas Dasgupta said ''the Rail Budget has played to the gallery.'' Forward Bloc national Secretary G Devrajan welcomed the Budget saying in the given situation, ''this is a balanced budget, but the safety aspect has been ignored.'' The BJP said the idea of increasing the freight capacity which would pose problems to it in the coming years, besides endangering the strcuture.

BJP Parliamentary Party Spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra said the Railways had totally neglected the infrastructure allocations and had not invested on purchase of anti-collision equipment needed for avoiding accidents.

There were also mixed reactions from states as the Congress unit of Rajasthan hailed the railway budget ''common man's budget while BJP in Orissa alleged that the state had been neglected in the Railway budget.

The Opposition parties in Andhra Pradesh also alleged that Railway Minister had not provided sufficient budget allocations and new railway lines for the state.

Meanwhile, former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi lauded Mr Prasad for presenting a ''people-oriented'' budget and said the interests of all sections had been properly taken care of.

Talking to newspersons, Ms Rabri Devi, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, said lowering of fare was a gift to the passengers.

UNI