"My husband is the best Railway minister the country has ever seen." This was how Rabri Devi, the wife of Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, reacted.
PATNA: "My husband is the best Railway minister the country has ever seen."
This was how Rabri Devi, the wife of Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, reacted as she praised his "abilities" after the RJD supremo on Tuesday presented his fifth consecutive budget, which was generally described as a "please all" budget.
The leader of the Opposition in Bihar's Assembly also hailed the budget as yet another "exemplary" one as she disagreed her husband being dubbed as "Railway minister of Bihar". "Laluji is the Railway minister for the whole country and not just for Bihar."
"Ensuring successive profits to the Railways, earlier running in huge loss and giving another exemplary budget for the fiscal 2008-09 have proved Lalu Prasad's abilities. It has proved beyond doubt that he is the best Railway Minister the country has ever seen," Rabri Devi said when asked for her reaction to the budget presented in Parliament.
Rabri also thanked Lalu for favourably responding to her suggestion for job reservation for women in Railways.
"We are also happy to come to know about reserving five per cent posts for women for recruitment in the Railway Protection Force (RPF)," she said, adding this step would ensure protection to women traveling by trains.
"It was a long-pending demand I put forth before my husband and I am happy that he has given due consideration to it in the Railway budget," she remarked.
The former chief minister said women traveling by trains would get special facilities as special coaches would be arranged for them which would be guarded by female constables.
She appreciated the Railway Minister for the concessions given to women in fares and making provisions for free travel of girl students for appearing in competitive exams.
Asked whether the Rail Minister's alleged "popular budget" this time was presented keeping an eye on the elections, Rabri Devi said, "ever since Lalu ji became Railway Minister, Indian Railways have made significant progress."
"The budgets he presented so far were only aimed at gifting the country the railways of world-class standard and he has never thought of advantage or disadvantage during elections," she said, appreciating reduction in passenger fares.
She hailed her husband's untiring efforts which led to the Railways earning an estimated profit of Rs 25,000 crore during 2007-08 and said Lalu Prasad had scripted history for the Railways in the country.
Responding to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's alleged criticism of the Railway minister, she alleged that Kumar had been "a failure" as a Railway minister when NDA led by Atal Bihar Vajpayee was in power.
Referring to the opposition by NDA members who tried to obstruct the budget speech of Prasad in the Lok Sabha and later, staged a noisy walk-out, Rabri Devi said, "There is nothing new in it as opposition is meant to oppose as it can't digest its opponent's achievements."
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