Rly ad has Trinamool poll slogan

Later,she also announced the slogan at a press conference at her residence.

In a clear violation of all norms,the Eastern Railway on Tuesday released an ad with a political slogan coined by Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee for her party,the Trinamool Congress. Mamata had announced the slogan,agriculture is our inspiration,industry is our perception at a party rally in Bhatar,Burdwan district,on Monday where she delivered her speech over the phone from her home that was received on the mobile phone of Union Minister of State for Shipping Mukul Roy and played on the microphone.

Later,she also announced the slogan at a press conference at her residence. When we come to power we will make a fine balance between agriculture and industry because both are important to us. Our new slogan will be krishi amader prerna ebong shilpo amader chetana (agriculture is our inspiration and industry is our perception), she said.

On Tuesday,the Eastern Railway ran the same slogan as an advertisement in all newspapers. The ad started with the line,A new horizon for industrialisation,followed by the slogan. The advertisement announced the foundation stone-laying ceremony of an AC container and railway bogie manufacturing factory at Budge Budge in South 24 Parganas district that was presided over by Mamata.

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Railway Board officials in Delhi pleaded ignorance and said that they would look into the matter. This thing should not have happened. We will check with our officials in Kolkata, Anil Saxena,ADG,Railway Board,told The Indian Express over phone from Delhi.

In Kolkata,officials defended the ad by saying that it was a mere coincidence. We did not know that it was her partys slogan. It was a mere coincidence that the same thing appeared in the ad, a spokesperson of the Eastern Railway said.

The CPM said they would take up the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. It is illegal and railway officials involved in this should be punished. I am going to write to the PM, said Basudeb Acharya,the leader of CPM Parliamentary Party in Lok Sabha and former chairman of parliamentary standing committee on railways. Echoed Mohammad Selim,a member of CPM Central Committee: The railway has become a tool for Trinamools campaign.