Left's good turn to Lalu fetches trains for Bengal

He was one of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) allies most anxious to avoid early elections.

And now that the Left parties have agreed to agree with the government on the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Agreement, consigning a snap election to the back burner, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad will show his gratitude to the Left in his own style.

This Saturday, Prasad will present two new trains to Left-ruled West Bengal. He will be in Kolkata to flag the two trains off from Chitpur station.

These two trains were Prasad's personal promise to a delegation of Left leaders when the nuclear crisis was at its peak in August.

Basudeb Acharia, CPI(M) leader and chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railway, claims the credit for clinching the trains goes to Left parties.

"It is because of our endeavour that the state will get two new trains. We have been constantly requesting Laluji on this issue," said Acharia.

Prasad offered three trains to Bengal in his Budget speech. The nuclear crisis has given the state two more.

Prasad will flag off the 'Pratham Swatantrata Sangram' (First War of Independence) Express from Kolkata to Jhansi via Barrackpore, Kanpur and Meerut.

"The idea is to connect all the places associated with the 1857 mutiny and Mangal Pandey on the 60 th anniversary of India's independence," Acharia said.

The bonus is an overnight express train connecting West Bengal's far-flung district headquarters of Balurghat with Kolkata.

Although an important section of this route was built when Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee was railway minister, she has not been invited to the inaugural ceremony on November 24.

"Why should she be invited? It is our effort and Laluji's contribution," a curt Acharia retorted. Instead, a host of Left leaders will be present, symbolising the bargaining power the Left has with this government.