'We have laid the foundations of fiscal health'

Q&A: LALU PRASAD

on his thoughts on this year's budget.

You have announced a series of concessions for passengers, as well as recruitments. Is this the strongest cue that elections are due?

Of course not. I have always spared the passengers in all the years that I have been railway minister. Were there elections due every year? This kind of talk is being spread by the Opposition which is upset that the UPA government was able to spare the passengers a fare hike every year.

The railway is financially healthy and our government has always passed the good news to the passenger, unlike previous governments.

At the end of your budget speech, the Left parties staged a walkout, calling you the minister for one state. How will you explain things to them?

The people who walked out are those whose work is being done day and night in the railway ministry. Why do I need to explain anything. I don't have railway projects coming out of my pockets, each project is evaluated according to its merits and has to clear questions posed by the Planning Commission as well.

There are over 500 MPs and it is difficult to accommodate everyone. I want these MPs to take a careful look at the budget documents.

There have been, however, an inordinate number of trains for Bihar. Other states feel neglected, especially Maharashtra.

Bihar has got 11 new lines, while Andhra Pradesh has got seven and Maharashtra 24 new lines. There has been an increase of 300 additional services in the Mumbai suburban rail system. We have also commissioned a special train between Delhi and Pune for the Commonwealth Youth Games to be held in Pune.

So I would advise all those who are leveling charges to study the documents carefully, and then there is always the debate on the budget to get your point across.

What was the toughest part in this year's Railway Budget?

Nothing at all. As I said in my speech, we have laid the foundations of fiscal health by playing the volumes game, and co-opting private players from being competitors to being partners.

Keeping in mind Vision 2025, we have presented a budget which for the record fourth year in a row does not raise passenger fares and talks of railway modernisation. I see it as a continuum of all the previous budgets that have been presented by me.