UPA MPs to knock PM's door

Vijay Deo Jha/ Vishakha Parashar Thursday, February 28, 2008 The Pioneer

RanchiPeeved at the neglect of Jharkhand by Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad in the last Railway Budget of the UPA Government, the UPA MPs of the State have decided to knock the doors of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. However, political differences among the MPs are stopping them to forge an alliance to jointly raise the issue which will be raised on March 10, when the Parliament would debate the Rail Budget. Besides the UPA MPs are scheduled to meet the Prime Minister after the General Budget is tabled on February 29.Union Minister of State for Food Processing Subodh Kant Sahai, said a delegation of MPs of UPA would meet the Prime Minister apprising him of the long pending demands and sentiments of the people of Jharkhand. Talking to The Pioneer, both Sahai and another Congress MP Chandrasekhar Dubey declined to join hands with NDA to forge an alliance to stand united during the debate. What comes out of the meeting with PM and debate in the Parliament is a matter of speculation, but the whole exercise has exposed the sharp division among the MPs of Jharkhand, even on the issues of common interests. Their political ideology and personal difference have come in the way of uniting them unlike their counterparts from Gujarat and West Bengal, who boycotted the Budget Session for alleged negligence of their respective States. The MPs of Gujarat have also decided to grill Lalu unitedly in the coming days.Even calling Budget 'people-friendly' and 'historic', the MPs of UPA now admit that the State did not get its due share and its long standing demands of long route trains. According to the sources, Hemlal Murmu, Furkan Ansari and Rameswar Oraon held a close door meeting just after the Budget to form a common strategy to raise the issue of negligence of their constituencies in the Rail Budget. JMM MP Hemlal Murmu, who termed the Budget as a case of classic negligence of Jharkhand and a 'home' budget of Bihar, has already announced to speak his mind during the debate. He is expected to raise the issue of freight corridor between Ranchi-Paradeep via Tatanagar.Yet, the said move of the UPA to exclude NDA to form a common has not dampened the spirit of the senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Devdas Apte, who is busy meeting State leaders to argue the case of Jharkhand. The UPA fears that it could provide an extra mileage to the BJP and they see this as a move of the party to snatch leadership and to project itself as the only party that could bring development in the State. Ajay Maru, the Rajya Sabha member, said that the party did not require the support the UPA to seek a fair deal for the State. But, he would welcome if MPs from Jharkhand dare to speak against their own Government. But, Babulal Marandi, has a different view. He termed the meeting with the PM and debating in the Parliament as a face saving exercise. Rather, he prefers to go to the public instead approach Railway Minister and the PM with a begging bowl that brings nothing Alleging Lalu Prasad for his anti-Jharkhand mindset, he said, it was a big irony to ask anything from the UPA leaders for development. Instead he would prefer to go to the people's court.