Budget has lost sight of social objectives: Lalu Prasad

NEW DELHI: Former railway minister Lalu Prasad on Tuesday described Dinesh Trivedi’s budget as “disappointing”, saying he expected better of a man whose party had “maa, maati, manush” as its plank.
“I am distressed by his proposal to hike railway fares. He may claim that this is a modest increase, but it will mean a steep burden for commuters. Even those who travel ordinary class from Patna to Delhi will have to shell out Rs 24 more.Why do you inconvenience them when they are already so troubled?” he argued.
Lalu Prasad said while suburban commuters in places like Mumbai and Mamata Banerjee’s Kolkata would have to pay more at a time when the cost of living had increased, he was worried about a bigger issue.
“I think the budget has lost sight of social objectives, which have been part of the railways’ charter since Independence. It is a shift towards heeding the advice of the Planning Commission and corporate leaders who want the railways to turn into a commercial entity, disregarding the fact it has a larger role to perform. I also got similar advice from Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, but I stood my ground,” he said.
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