Gujarat waits for ‘bad M’ Mamata to turn good in rail budget

For Tata Sons chairman Ratan Tata, Mamata Banerjee was the ‘bad M’ who forced him to abandon his ambitious Nano Car project in Singur, West Bengal. For him, Narendra Modi was the ‘good M’ as Gujarat rolled out a red carpet for the Nano project and went out of the way to welcome the project to the state.

About a year later, Gujarat awaits with bated breath whether Mamata Banerjee, now rail minister, turns out to be a good or bad ‘M’ for the state as she presents her maiden railway budget on Friday in her second stint as a railway minister.

Buzz in the official circles here indicates apprehension in people’s mind that Mamata’s differences with Ratan Tata and Modi’s support to him may become detrimental to the state’s interest. Gujarat is desperately waiting to see its requirement for new trains fulfilled as well as getting approval for a number of long-pending railway projects in the state.

At present, apart from requirement of many new trains to connect with other states and expansion of various lines in the state, there are 11 major long pending issues of the state with the railway ministry for the last many years. Recently, chief minister Narendra Modi had instructed all the BJP MPs from the state to raise issues pending with the Union railway ministry in the parliament and had also written to the ministry in this regard.