Rail Budget: PM claims authorship of austere package On a day when his railway minister D V Sadananda Gowda came under fire for not presenting a populist budget, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stepped up to the plate to fully own up the austere package, saying it was the need of the hour.This budget will help accelerate the countrys growth, modernize railways and provide safety and better amenities to passengers, the PM said in a robust defence which was quickly interpreted as a pointer of what might unfold on Thursday when the Union Budget is due.Complimenting their finance ministers and railway ministers after they present their respective budgets is par for the course for the prime minister of the day. Modis stood out because it went beyond proforma praise and marked a public advocacy of his theme that people will have to swallow bitter pills if the economy is to recover.Modis strong justification, amid Congresss accusation that his government had subverted the socialist model of growth and Trinamool members forcing suspension of proceedings in Lok Sabha, was a clear indication that the rollback of the hike in suburban train fares may have been an aberration. It fits well with Modis timetable of focusing on development for four years of his tenure, leaving vote-mopping populism for the last one. The detour from populism comes at a time when important elections with huge stakes for BJP have begun to loom on the horizon, and amplify the governments intent. In his remarks, Modi implied that his government would view the national transporter differently from the predecessors. Railways has a major role to play in national development. It would have taken the country to a new growth trajectory had it been fully harnessed. Anyways, it is better late than never. I am sure that the path we have embarked upon in 2014 to reach a high level of growth will satisfy passengers while reinforcing the confidence of those engaged with the countrys development, he said.
Posted on: Wed, 09 Jul 2014 06:59:16 +0000
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