Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Kalraj Mishra, defended the hike in rail fare and assured the people that they would be compensated through other means during the Budget session of Parliament next month.
“The hike (in rail fare) was necessary to revive the Indian Railways and this was also the decision of the previous United Progressive Alliance Government though it could not muster courage to implement it. But still the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance Government will compensate the people through other means during the Budget session,” he told reporters here without giving any hints of the sops to be announced in the Budget.
“We have just come to power. Criticism of the working of the previous government on all issues is not right but the manner in which the present situation has emerged, some harsh steps have to be taken,” he added.
However, he hastened to add that some arrangements would also have to be made in tandem with the harsh measures so that inflation was controlled soon.
Mishra, who paid obeisance to Ram lala at Ayodhya on Saturday morning and returned to New Delhi in the evening, said the BJP-led Government was making all effort to control the prices of essential commodities and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was working overtime to consult with different ministries.
He, however, admitted that the tension in Iraq had escalated the prices of crude oil in the international market and it was a cause of concern for the Centre.
Mishra gave a clean chit to Union Minister Nihalchand on the alleged rape allegation against him.
“I was the in-charge of party’s affairs in Rajasthan when the issue cropped up but thorough investigation showed that all the allegations were fake,” the Union Minister said.
Kalraj Mishra, who has been elected to lok Sabha from Deoria, said the law and order was bad in Uttar Pradesh and developmental programmes had derailed in the present Samajwadi Party rule.
“Incidents of rape have increased and the state Government has failed to control the rising crimes,” he said, and added that several developmental programmes had failed to take off in the state.
Mishra said there was no question of Central intervention in UP unless the Governor sent his report about breakdown of law and order in the state.
“UP has a democratically elected Government and the BJP will do nothing that would violate the constitutional norms or break the federal structure,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Mishra offered prayers at the Ram lalla temple in Ayodhya and later went to Hanumangarhi temple. He also met Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas chairman Mahant Nritya Gopal Das.
When asked about BJP’s commitment for construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Mishra, without giving any straight reply, said, “The Government has five years to fulfil its commitment.”
Regarding the 100 days’ agenda of his ministry, Mishra said, “There is nothing like 100 days’ agenda. I don’t know from where it came.”