Mamatas election manifesto,says Left

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjees largesse for West Bengal with an eye on the 2011 Assembly elections....

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjees largesse for West Bengal with an eye on the 2011 Assembly elections has rattled the CPM which has painted the Rail Budget as the Trinamool Congresss manifesto for the polls.

The party on Friday found itself in some kind of a dilemma. It could neither criticise Banerjee for announcing more trains and a host of railway-related projects for Bengal nor welcome it. While the Politburo was silent on this aspect,CPMs Parliamentary Party leader in Lok Sabha Basudeb Acharia said the budget was aimed at the elections.

Yes,it is almost that, he said when asked whether the budget was the Trinamool Congresss manifesto for the Assembly polls two years from now. The new trains,most of them for Bengal,have been announced keeping the elections in mind….Most of the new trains announced outside Bengal were announced by (her predecessor) Lalu Prasad earlier, he said.

Story continues below this ad

He said instead of announcing new lines,the Railway Ministry should focus on areas like modernisation of signalling system,bringing in new coaches,getting more passengers and freight traffic,replacing old rail bridges and increase the average speed of trains.

He said the proposed Nandigram-Singur rail line is not feasible. I dont know why she wants it. The already announced Jhargram-Purulia route can address the needs of all these areas, he said. Interestingly,Banerjee also talked about plans to set up a power project at Adra,which falls in Acharias Lok Sabha constituency Bankura.

I dont know how she will acquire land for the project. At least,1,000 acres would be required for the project. She has been opposing

land acquisition and now she proposes land acquisition, he said.

Story continues below this ad

In Kolkata,Left leaders saw a capitalist trend in Banerjees budget. CPMs West Bengal secretary Biman Bose said the budget initiated partial privatisation of the railway sector. Even earlier the Congress government had planned privatisation in Railways. The present Railway Minister is following the agenda.

The Left has opposed the idea of setting up of land bank for the use of industries. Their concern reflected in the statement of Ashok Ghosh,veteran Forward Bloc leader. The land will be given to big business houses in the name of public-private partnership, said Ghosh reacting to the budget proposals.

Kshiti Goswami,state PWD minister and a senior RSP leader,said there might be some relief for the poor and common people as a whole but the direction of the budget was obviously towards the big capital.

The CPM Politburo said the Railway Budget lacked fresh ideas to address the revenue fall. The minister has failed to come up with any fresh ideas in tackling the situation and turnaround the declining revenue situation. Rather she has chosen to take recourse to the same flawed route of privatisation through PPP projects in a host of areas, it said.