Political parties in West Bengal have lashed out at the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for “ignoring” the State in the Railway Budget.
While the Trinamool Congress leadership said the budget was prepared with “vengeance” and with the purpose of “killing the projects announced” by past Railway Ministers from the party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said there was “nothing substantive” for the State in the budget.
Referring to allocations made to Kolkata Metro and other major projects in the State, senior Trinamool leader and MP Saugata Roy said the Railway Minister had “singled out the State for a differential treatment.”
ADVERTISEMENT
CPI(M) central committee of member Md. Salim said the budget highlighted the inconsistencies in the policies of the UPA government.
“The Trinamool Congress had used the Railways for deriving political mileage without concerning the financial viability and availability of resources. Now the Congress, after realising that the Railways are in deep trouble, has put those projects on the back burner,” he said.
Bharatiya Janata Party State president Rahul Sinha said no projects were declared for the State in the budget. “The meagre allocations made to the projects relating to the Kolkata Metro are only on paper,” he said, adding that huge allocations were made for Railway projects in the Congress-ruled States.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Pradesh Congress defended the budget by calling it “realistic and forward-looking for the entire country.”