MAMATA BANERJEE MISUSES INDIAN RAILWAYS

There is no denying the fact that Mamata Banerjee has taken oath as the Union Railway Minister to serve the entire nation. But unfortunately her modus operandi does not fall on the lines with this pledge. In fact, instead of ensuring effective delivery of public service as advised by the President of India and being responsive to the needs, facilities, amenities and problems of the people & the railway passengers of the whole country irrespective of state, she has transformed the Indian Railways into a tool to serve her own political agenda in West Bengal. She prefers to be staying at Kolkata most of the days keeping herself engaged in the drama of inaugurating daily new trains and laying foundation stones than being at the Railway Bhavan in New Delhi performing her constitutionally assigned duty of serving the entire nation. It is not known whether these new trains and projects have the prior approval and budgetary support of the Railway Ministry or the Central Government. This pertinent question is raised widely because the past experience of the people is not good and encouraging. As the then Coal Minister and the then Railway Minister she had laid foundation stones of a number of costly projects with widespread publicity proving later to be without approval and without budgetary supports of the Union Government. All the official functions organized by the Indian Railways at the expense of the tax payers are utilized as her political platforms for mudslinging and vituperation against the CPI (M) and the Left Front Government. In order to satisfy her whims and insular ideology, none is invited to the functions excepting her sycophants, political supporters with party flags and festoons and few ‘so-called’ intellectuals drumming, singing, dancing and performing tricks and feats of jugglery to her tunes. The state government is shockingly set aside in gross violation of the federal fabric of the country. Besides, the entire Railway Ministry remains transferred to Kolkata. The railway officers are being reduced to a football kicked from one post to another. As a matter of fact, she has sullied the name of the Indian Railways beyond redemption and has undoubtedly succeeded in reducing it to a laughing stock. It is better to call the Indian Railways the “Mamata Railways” or the “Trinamool Railways”.