The Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee has termed the Union Railway Budget highly disappointing for the State. Reacting to the rail budget presented by the Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, the PCC president Kishore Upadhyaya averred that the rail budget has little more than hollow assurances.
Congress members also burned the Centre in effigy at the Astley Hall intersection condemning the rail budget. Upadhyaya stated, “The Railway Minister has ignored the State of Uttarakhand in the rail budget. In the lok Sabha elections, the people of Uttarakhand had elected five BJP candidates to the lok Sabha with a strong margin but the BJP has continued to ignore this State at every step. The people of Uttarakhand had many expectations from the rail budget but by ignoring the State in this budget the Central Government led by prime minister Narendra Modi has once again shown that it is not concerned about the development of this State,” said the PCC chief.
He further said that prior to presentation of the rail budget, Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat had called on the Union Railway minister Suresh Prabhu and had sought expansion of the railway services in Uttarakhand. Upadhyaya said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also promised to link the Char Dhams by rail but in budget, there was no mention of the same.
The Rajya Nirman Andolankari Samman Parishad vice chairman Dhirendra Pratap termed the rail budget a “farce”. Accusing the five BJP MPs of failing to facilitate any benefit to Uttarakhand, he sought their resignation on moral grounds while at the same time expressed happiness at rail fares not being raised.
Meanwhile, Congress members accusing the Centre of ignoring Uttarakhand in the rail budget, congregated at the Congress Bhawan and raised slogans against the Centre.