Lalu, Nitish criticise railway budget

Patna, July 8 (IANS) Former railway ministers Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Tuesday criticised the NDA government's first railway budget.

Nitish Kumar described the railway budget as "directionless" and said: "The railway budget has no clear-cut direction to move ahead."

Lalu Prasad said the railway budget has made it clear that the government will pave the way for private investment and will hand over railway to private players.

"I strongly fear that railway budget has made a move in the direction to privatise itself at the cost of interests of people," Lalu said in reference to stress on public-private partnership (PPP) model in the railway budget.

Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi termed the railway budget a big disappointment for Bihar.

"The railway budget has ignored Bihar as pending projects failed to get attention and there is nothing new for the state in it," Manjhi said.

He said railway budget failed to fulfill the aspirations of 10.5 crore people of a backward state like Bihar.