New Delhi, Friday 25 February 2011: The CPM on Friday crictised Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee for what it termed her ‘deceitful budget’, and said it has been prepared under coalition compulsions.

‘It is a deceitful budget done through the sleight of hand. This railway budget is a victim of coalition compulsions and I am surprised how the Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) allowed such a budget,’ CPM Rajya Sabha leader Sitaram Yechury told reporters.

Yechury said the budget has been prepared keeping in view the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal, where Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress is in opposition. But even then there is nothing in the railway budget for the next year, he said.

‘Mamata’s announcements on projects for Bengal have been done keeping assembly elections in mind and she has cleverly placed them in the 12th five year plan under the PM’s Rail Vikas Yojna. So nothing is for the 2011-12 year. Even last budget announcements have not been fulfilled for Bengal,’ he said.

The CPM leader in the Lok Sabha, Basudeb Acharya, also criticised the railway minister and said: ‘Plan of Vision-2020 has gone haywire as no adequate funds have been announced for the projects in 2011-12 like laying 1,300 km of rail line. Even last year’s plan for l,000 km reduced to 700 km in revised budget of 2010-11.’

(News agency)