Lalu ignored Maharashtra's requirements: Munde

Mumbai, Feb 26 (UNI) BJP national general secretary Gopinath Munde today accused Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav of ignoring the needs of Maharashtra.

Mr Munde, in a release, said the budget did not have anything for the state, despite it being close to election year. It seemed Mr Yadav had forgetten that Maharashtra is a part of India.

There were many requirements of the state but Mr Yadav has preferred the projects in Mumbai over Maharashtra, he said adding ''Lalu has accepted to 'Go Mumbai' but 'no Maharashtra'.

''There are no schemes for Maharashtra and the railway line on the Ahmednagar-Beed-Parli is in dire need of funds, but the budget has neglected it,'' Mr Munde said.

The work on a route between Puntamba and Shirdi was started 6 years ago but there was no improvement in the same, he added.

Meanwhile, BJP state president Nitin Gadkari has accused Mr Yadav of giving nothing to Maharashtra and Mumbai.

In a rlease here, Mr Gadkari said despite 65 lakh people commuting in local trains in Mumbai, there has been no respite for them in the budget.

Maharashtra was ignored in the budget while Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan and West Bengal were preferred by the Railway minister, he added.

UNI JN SSS SYU VC2145