Lalu, Paswan should reconsider support to UPA: Modi

Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi today asked RJD chief Lalu Prasad and LJP president Ramvilas Paswan to reconsider their outside support to UPA II govt saying this was for the first time since Independence that Bihar has been so 'starkingly discriminated' against in the Rail budget.

Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Tuesday asked RJD chief Lalu Prasad and LJP president Ramvilas Paswan to reconsider their outside support to UPA II government saying this was for the first time since Independence that Bihar has been so 'starkingly discriminated' against in the Rail budget.

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"Out of 67 new trains announced in the Rail budget presented by Railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal today, only six are for Bihar and out of that five are weekly trains," Modi said.

"Out of 136 new tracks, gauge conversion, doubling and electrification announced in the Rail budget, only one is meant for Bihar," Modi, also a senior BJP leader, said.

He said considering the utter neglect of Bihar in the Rail budget, Prasad and Paswan should reconsider continuing backing the UPA II government at the Centre.

Modi said the Railway minister had said that the 365 projects pending would be taken up in the 12th Five Year plan. "The fate of over two dozen Railway projects announced by Lalu Prasad for Bihar as minister in UPA I government involving an investment of Rs 40,000 crore hangs in balance."