While Lalu Prasad Yadav spent the first day of the Rail Budget debate on the backfoot as doubts were raised about his term in the Railway Ministry, on Wednesday, the RJD came out in full strength to defend its supremo on the floor of the House. The discussion in the Lok Sabha on the Rail Budget went on till after 10 pm, with 131 members participating. Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to reply on Thursday.

Questioning Mamata’s decision to bring out a White Paper on Railway performance over the past five years, former Union rural development minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said: “What is more white than the Budget papers presented to Parliament? All the previous Railway Budgets were vetted by Parliament, but it (the proposed White Paper) has created confusion. I fail to understand that there is no decision to bring out any kind of White Paper for the period when Railways incurred losses (before Lalu’s tenure), but when Railways have made profit (during Lalu’s tenure) the government finds a need for White Paper. Why?” Singh demanded that there be a White Paper for the period when the Railways suffered losses as well.

His statement was directed against Mamata as well as Lalu’s rival Nitish Kumar, both of whom held the Railways portfolio under the NDA. Nitish’s party JD(U) has been at the forefront accusing Lalu of “accounting jugglery” during his Railway tenure, and had welcomed Mamata’s decision of a White Paper.

Seconding Lalu’s challenge that a House committee inquire into the allegations against him and submit a report within seven days, Singh said: “It should not take much time to verify the figures of the past five years. It could be done within a matter of days. Therefore any delay in bringing out a White Paper is dangerous.”

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