[ 26 Feb, 2007 2335hrs
NEW DELHI: Basking in the glory of accolades for presenting what he calls a "hit" budget yet again, a beaming Lalu Prasad told TOI: "Last time I had done 'jadu' (magic), this time I have done 'tona' (witch-craft), and next time around it will be "Indra-jal" (mesmerising trick practised by famous magician P C Sarkar). Prasad, who after his last offering, had looked somewhat tentative as he grappled with the mumbo jumbo of economics-operating ratio, realisation per passenger etc, was confidence personified this time as he handled queries hurled at him by the droves of journalists. "This is my third hit in a row. I have scored a hat-trick," the railway minister continued in the same vein. Asked how railways could notch up a profit of Rs 20,000 crore without raising freight or passenger fares for the third consecutive year, he sought to contest the underlying suggestion that it was quite a feat to have been pulled off. "Very simple, sara khel volume ka hai. You don't gain as much by raising revenues as by getting more people to travel without increasing your operating cost." Elaborating, he said that railways had also added more coaches to trains. "One additional coach on a train means Rs 1 crore more in revenue. We plan to add 800 coaches, that alone would bring that much more money to the kitty. So why raise fares," he asked, adding with a glint, "Some very sensible things escaped my honourable predecessors," in a scarcely-veiled allusion to his two rivals in Bihar politics, Nitish Kumar and Ramvilas Paswan, who had earlier held the portfolio. Asked how he blended his political priorities with his role as the man in-charge of railway finances, Prasad said he quickly realised that the notion that low fares were the chief factors behind the poor performance of railways was a myth. Then, there are many things that you can do to help poor people without putting the burden on railways. "Look at my decision that for lower berths priority should be given to senior citizens and women above 45? What does that cost? You don't have to slit poor's throat to make profit. There are other ways of making money," he said. "That is why I said in my speech 'Maana ki badi-badi baatein karna hamen nahin aaya, magar dil par badi kaarigari se naam likhte hain' (I may not be good at high-sounding rhetoric. But I know how to earn goodwill)," Prasad said. The minister, however, added that he was against waging class warfare on the tracks by fleecing upper class passengers. Interestingly, while focusing on railways, Prasad has not lost sight of his long-term political gains in Bihar. This was evident from the fact that he announced setting up a New Electric Loco Works at Madhepura and Wagon Bogies Complex to be set up at Dalmia Nagar, Rohtas district. He has already announced an electric engine and coach factory to be set up at Chapra, his own constituency. "I would thank PM Manmohan Singh and Soniaji, that for the first time Centre is making huge investments in a backward state like Bihar." As the conversation continued, Prasad's assertions got more ambitious. "Bas dekhte jaiye, aage kya kya hota hai," he said in the "you ain't seen nothin' yet" tone, quoting from his speech, "Jitna ab tak dekh chuke ho, ye to bas shuruat hai. Khel tamasha aage dekho, dariya dil saudagar ka". "We are like Infosys, we always set our targets lower and then end the year with a better-than-anticipated performance," said the minister. However, when asked about the growing concern over terrorist attacks on railways, the tone turned grim. "Railways are a soft target for terrorists. We have to accept that. One crore seventy lakh passengers travel daily by trains. It's humanly impossible to check the luggage of each and every passenger. However, railways is trying to purchase and install the best surveillance equipment and enhance the number of RPF personnel," Prasad said.
NEW DELHI: Basking in the glory of accolades for presenting what he calls a "hit" budget yet again, a beaming Lalu Prasad told TOI: "Last time I had done 'jadu' (magic), this time I have done 'tona' (witch-craft), and next time around it will be "Indra-jal" (mesmerising trick practised by famous magician P C Sarkar). Prasad, who after his last offering, had looked somewhat tentative as he grappled with the mumbo jumbo of economics-operating ratio, realisation per passenger etc, was confidence personified this time as he handled queries hurled at him by the droves of journalists. "This is my third hit in a row. I have scored a hat-trick," the railway minister continued in the same vein. Asked how railways could notch up a profit of Rs 20,000 crore without raising freight or passenger fares for the third consecutive year, he sought to contest the underlying suggestion that it was quite a feat to have been pulled off. "Very simple, sara khel volume ka hai. You don't gain as much by raising revenues as by getting more people to travel without increasing your operating cost." Elaborating, he said that railways had also added more coaches to trains. "One additional coach on a train means Rs 1 crore more in revenue. We plan to add 800 coaches, that alone would bring that much more money to the kitty. So why raise fares," he asked, adding with a glint, "Some very sensible things escaped my honourable predecessors," in a scarcely-veiled allusion to his two rivals in Bihar politics, Nitish Kumar and Ramvilas Paswan, who had earlier held the portfolio. Asked how he blended his political priorities with his role as the man in-charge of railway finances, Prasad said he quickly realised that the notion that low fares were the chief factors behind the poor performance of railways was a myth. Then, there are many things that you can do to help poor people without putting the burden on railways. "Look at my decision that for lower berths priority should be given to senior citizens and women above 45? What does that cost? You don't have to slit poor's throat to make profit. There are other ways of making money," he said. "That is why I said in my speech 'Maana ki badi-badi baatein karna hamen nahin aaya, magar dil par badi kaarigari se naam likhte hain' (I may not be good at high-sounding rhetoric. But I know how to earn goodwill)," Prasad said. The minister, however, added that he was against waging class warfare on the tracks by fleecing upper class passengers. Interestingly, while focusing on railways, Prasad has not lost sight of his long-term political gains in Bihar. This was evident from the fact that he announced setting up a New Electric Loco Works at Madhepura and Wagon Bogies Complex to be set up at Dalmia Nagar, Rohtas district. He has already announced an electric engine and coach factory to be set up at Chapra, his own constituency. "I would thank PM Manmohan Singh and Soniaji, that for the first time Centre is making huge investments in a backward state like Bihar." As the conversation continued, Prasad's assertions got more ambitious. "Bas dekhte jaiye, aage kya kya hota hai," he said in the "you ain't seen nothin' yet" tone, quoting from his speech, "Jitna ab tak dekh chuke ho, ye to bas shuruat hai. Khel tamasha aage dekho, dariya dil saudagar ka". "We are like Infosys, we always set our targets lower and then end the year with a better-than-anticipated performance," said the minister. However, when asked about the growing concern over terrorist attacks on railways, the tone turned grim. "Railways are a soft target for terrorists. We have to accept that. One crore seventy lakh passengers travel daily by trains. It's humanly impossible to check the luggage of each and every passenger. However, railways is trying to purchase and install the best surveillance equipment and enhance the number of RPF personnel," Prasad said.
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