Trivedi stands by his budget, says will present the same one again if ever asked
Holding his ground, former railway minister Dinesh Trivedi on Monday said if he were made to present the railway budget again, he would present it exactly as he had done earlier, as it was a “budget for India”.
“I don’t have any regrets or complaints. If the Prime Minister tells me to present the railway budget tomorrow, I will present the same budget,” said Mr Trivedi during a seminar entitled “Country Before Party and Self” held at a packed Madame Cama Hall.
“It took the Supreme Court, no less, to sack A. Raja, who shortchanged the country of billions of dollars. I was sacked in just a few minutes for doing my job, which was in interest of the country,” he said, adding that he had consulted top advisors and experts like Dr Anil Kakodkar and Dr K. Kasturirangan before presenting the budget.
In the seminar, Mr Trivedi also discussed his plans on improving railway connectivity in Mumbai by integrating the three suburban lines — Western, Harbour and Central. “The plan was to integrate the three lines to ease commuters’ travel. Unfortunately, it has been rolled back,” he said.
The former minister also spoke on coalition politics, where key ministries are distributed like fiefs to political allies. This, he said, spoke volumes about the fact that “political interests” had “taken precedence over country”.
Referring to the budget he presented, he said, “The railway needs modernisation, which is why I told the planning commission that the requirement is of `25 crore. The money can easily be raised by public private partnerships, public funds and fare hikes.”
Expressing the need for this urgent modernisation of Railways, Mr Trivedi highlighted the poor conditions in which people travel in the country. “A passenger should be able to travel in a dignified way. Today, the way people travel in general class compartments is nothing but a violation of human rights,” he said.
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