NEW DELHI: The opposition parties have described the Railway Budget as “anti-aam aadmi” and something that will “take the country backwards”.
The BJP said the Rail Budget “was big on promise, but bad on performance”. “While the hike for AC 1 and AC 2 passengers is 10 to 12 per cent, the sleeper class and general class passengers will pay 16 to 20 per cent more.
Thus the burden of hikes is on the aam admi,” the BJP said in a statement.
“The fares should have been increased long ago in small doses. Instead, the Railway Minister has now burdened the people in a big way. For the poor who undertake trips in the 500- 1,000 km range, the increase is steep,” said former union finance minister and senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said the “Centre had kept the country in the dark about the Railways’ pitiable condition for the last seven years”. He added that “the Railway Budget in reverse gear will take India back to the last century”.
“The Railways is unlikely to complete 487 pending projects, let alone the proposed ones. The government does not seem to have any vision either for future,” he alleged.
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar expressed disappointment over the budget calling it “an empty box”. “There is nothing in it worth commenting on... The issue of safety has been spoken in future tense, and his speech merely listed out safety measures to be taken in future.”