Cong backs hike in rail fares, BJP terms it 'anti-people'

New Delhi: Congress today backed the hike in rail fares in the railway budget saying it was “very minor” and necessary in view of the increase in fuel prices.

“As far as the fares are concerned, they were not raised for a long time. The hike is very minor in view of the rise in fuel prices,” Congress chief whip Girija Vyas told reporters here.

The fares will not have much impact on the common man, she said.

She hailed the first Railway Budget presented by Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi as a “very good budget” which has “something for everybody”.

Vyas said the budget was good as it particularly as it made safety and security as its foundation.

“One positive feature of the budget is that there are provisions for safety and security of the railways,” she said.

Meanwhile, the BJP today termed the Railway Budget as “directionless” and “anti-people”, saying it will add to the woes of the common man already facing the brunt of spiralling prices. “It is a directionless and anti-people budget,” BJP’s vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, adding that without taking effective steps for ensuring security, facility and time, “announcements have been made for an expensive journey”. He said at a time when the common man was already under attack from the burden of price rise and inflation, “the railway budget has given another bigger blow”. Naqvi said, “While the Railway minister has announced a five-year plan for taking care of security, facility and time, the burden of increased fare has been slapped on the common man in five minutes”. BJP general secretary Ananth Kumar said the Rail Budget was “anti-aam aadmi” and there was no vision in the budget.

“There is no vision. There is no action and passenger has been raised… prices will shoot up,” he said. He added, “This budget is annexure minister’s annexure budget.”

PTI