This budget is in reverse gear: Narendra Modi

The Railway Budget for 2012-13 appeared to be in reverse gears, which would take the country backwards to the last century, said chief minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. Modi described the budget as absolutely disappointing for a fast developing state like Gujarat.

“The budget seems to have closed all gates of development for the state. There is hardly any noteworthy announcement for the state,” he said. 

Modi further said that the railway minister’s announcement about setting up a rail coach factory in Kutch was, in fact, eye wash.
“What the railways plan to do is setting up a diesel engine spare parts unit there. Such units in private sector are already in existence in plenty in and around Rajkot,” he said.

Modi said it was the first time the UPA government had admitted that Indian Railway (IR) is in a pitiable economic condition. He said that the Centre had kept the country in dark about the deep mess that IR is in for the last seven years.

“The railways is unlikely to complete 487 pending projects, let alone the proposed ones. The government does not seem to have any vision either,” he claimed.

The CM said that the 20% hike in freight rates even before the Budget would put an additional burden of Rs300 crore annually on people of Gujarat.