Lalu Yadav Rules out Privatization of Railways
Patna: April 13, 2007
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Lalu Yadav Rules out Privatization of Railways
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Photo by Shashi Uttam |
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At a function to honor railway employees at the 52nd Annual Railway Week Celebration at S. K. Memorial Hall in Patna on Friday, Railway Minister and RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav said there was no plan to either privatize the Indian Railways or slash the railway work force as rumored by some.
Yadav said he had asked the Prime Minister to spare the Indian Railways from job freeze and other restrictive orders including departmental promotion as the Railways was a huge profit earner and would continue to remain a cash cow because of various sound policies introduced and implemented by him.
The Railway Minister gave out prizes to a number of railway employees for their outstanding work in their respective departments.
Yadav, who never misses an opportunity to pat his own back, said he not only succeeded in putting the Indian Railways back on track, he also showed the world how to turn around an ailing industry into a thriving, profitable powerhouse.
"Experts told me that I needed to cut down the work force and raise freight charges in order to pull the Indian Railways out of its misery. I, on the other hand, showed them how, with proper policies, things can be turned around without resorting to such drastic measures," the Railway Minister said amidst huge applause.
Yadav, who is known for his shrewd political acumen with an eye on his vote bank, that is, the Muslims and Yadavs of Bihar, said more than 30,000 of the 14 lakh railway employees were Muslims and he was committed to increasing this number substantially in the coming months.
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