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Laloo unfazed by NDA threat to boycot Rail Budget
Laloo said he would be carrying out the exercise for the people of the country and not for those who have been rejected in the LS polls.
Unfazed by the NDA threat to boycott presentation of the Railway Budget, Railway Minister Laloo Prasad on Monday said that he would be carrying out the exercise for the people of the country and not for those who have been rejected in Lok Sabha polls.
"I don't want to tell them (NDA), but want to reach out to the people through Parliament", Laloo told reporters after a customary photo session at Rail Bhawan on the eve of presentation of the Budget.
The Railway Minister said he has already given final touches to his maiden Rail Budget and appealed to MPs of all the political parties to hear him and give their suggestions.
"I have given final touches to the Railway Budget. I will present it to the nation through Parliament", he said adding that "we will fulfil our responsibility".
Asked to comment on the NDA decision to boycott his presentation of the budget, he said "people have already rejected them and if they don't want to listen to it, it is their wish. We are responsible to people and will tell them about the Budget".
"We will show them (NDA) India through the Rail Budget", the Minister said adding the opposition must first know the problems of the country.
Taking a dig at the BJP for threatening to boycott the Budget, he said "they did not understand the problems of the country resulting in their rejection (in the Lok Sabha polls). They understood only Ayodhya problem, but they have nothing to do with Hindutva".
Assailing NDA decision, the Railway Minister said in fact NDA was "so frustrated following their defeat in the Lok Sabha polls that they cannot face us".
"Lust of power is very bad and after losing power in the recent polls, they (NDA) got frustrated and cannot face us. They are directly approaching the Speaker", he said.
Asserting that to make Indian Railways as number one in the world was his "dream", the minister said paucity of funds would not be allowed to hamper the development of the national lifeline.
Asked what similarities his Budget will have with that presented by his predecessor Nitish Kumar, Laloo said the face of Railways would be completely changed' and criticised Kumar for initiating certain projects like 1000 MW Nabinagar-Aurangabad Power Project without sanction and plan.
On the neglect of several remote regions of the country by the Railways, he said it was nothing but politics, which would not be repeated as the UPA government was committed to develop even these areas through railways.
The minister said he has written letters to all MPs to submit their suggestions about rail infrastructure in their respective constituencies as also their plan so that even those areas 'neglected' in the last 50 years could be linked through Railways.
