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.”

Earlier in the day, another RJD MP, Jagdanand Singh, accused the JD(U) of challenging the authority of Parliament and other constitutional mechanisms by describing the past five years of figures vetted by the House as “jugglery”.

“The ‘jugglery’ word being used is an open challenge to Parliament, the Cabinet, Comptroller and Auditor General of India and parliamentary committees which not only vetted the (Railway) budget figures of the past five years but also lauded its performance,” Jagdanand Singh said. He instead advised Mamata to formulate her proposed Vision 2020 for Railways on the basis of its performance under Lalu.

Mamata, who was present during the speeches of RJD members, chose to hear them out even as Raghuvansh Prasad Singh alleged “prima facie” neglect of Bihar, with West Bengal being favoured, and demanded that projects already sanctioned for Bihar be continued.

Cutting across party lines, otherMPs too claimed that their states or seats had been neglected in the Rail Budget.

Lalu meets Mamata over Bihar

After several days of heated exchanges between them, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Wednesday called on Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee. Lalu said he urged Mamata to increase the “inadequate allocation” in the Rail Budget for projects in Bihar, and “she assured that she would look into the issue”. If need be, he would also meet PM Manmohan Singh to demand more funds, Lalu said. The projects for which the RJD chief sought more allocation include the proposed electric engine factory at Madhepura, diesel engine factory at Marora and cupler body factory at Sonepur, besides new railway line projects and development of model stations in the state.