Common man’s rail budget, claims Mamata; Uproar for ‘undue favours’ to Bengal
25 Feb 2011
Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee began presenting the rail budget for 2011-12 in the Lok Sabha today with the promise of not only moving ahead faster to build a strong railroad infrastructure but also to address the needs of the average person.
"We have taken a two-pronged approach. On the one hand, building sustainable, efficient, rapidly-growing railways, and on the other, having an acute sense of social responsibility towards the common people," Baneerjee told the Lok Sabha.
"In this budget we have attempted to combine a strong economic focus with an equivalent emphasis on social inclusion with a human face," she said in her opening remarks of what was her fifth such exercise as railways minister.
Banerjee said hers is a common man's budget. She said that the government has given emphasis on social responsibility with economic focus while making the budget.
Railway minister Mamata Banerjee was interrupted while delivering the rail budget Friday with an uproar in the Lok Sabha when members thought there was undue emphasis on her home state West Bengal.
An irate Banerjee retorted: "I am proud of my state!"
Banerjee, who announced several schemes for West Bengal and specifically mentioned the Kolkata Metro, provoked outrage, with several MPs up on their feet and protesting loudly.
Speaker Meira Kumar appealed for peace but in vain. Former railway minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad also got up to protest.
