By IANS,
Chennai : AIADMK general secretary J. Jayalalithaa Friday said that Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has “hijacked national resources” through her railway budget to serve local political ends.
Reacting to the railway budget presented by Banerjee in parliament, Jayalalithaa said in a statement here: “The overwhelming impression that a national resource has been hijacked by the minister to serve local political ends cannot be dispelled nor denied.”
“Mamata Banerjee has predictably presented the nation’s railways budget, 2011, keeping the assembly elections in her home state in mind. She has announced major projects for Nandigram and Singur where she had launched a successful political battle some years ago,” Jayalalithaa said.
Terming the railway budget as a common man’s budget to the extent that it does not envisage any hike in passenger or freight rates, Jayalalithaa said the railway ministry’s finances are in the doldrums as nothing imaginative has been done to raise additional revenue.
This would inflict huge damage on the national economy and push the world’s largest railway network (by a single operator) to the brink, she added.
“Several new projects have been announced. However, with most of the schemes announced in last year’s budget remaining unimplemented, the railway minister’s track record for project implementation is rather uninspiring,” Jayalalithaa remarked.
As regards Banerjee’s proposals pertaining to Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa said there is nothing much to exult about.