Terming the rail budget as 'disappointing, directionless and populist', BJP on Friday demanded that Union railway minister Lalu Prasad come out with a 'performance budget' for each of the five years of his tenure.
"This budget is most directionless budget presented by the Union railway minister Lalu Prasad...it's nothing but jugglery of words," BJP spokesperson Shahnawaj Hussain said.
"Railway minister should also present an outcome and performance budget after each railway budget so that people could know which of promises made during his rail budgets were actually implemented," party general secretary Ananth Kumar said.
Kumar said the minister should not 'mislead' parliament and the country with 'empty sloganeering'.
"The entire rail budget exercise has become a mockery. The railway minister has presented this please all budget to garner votes," Kumar said, adding 'this is neither full budget nor half budget but simply a vote budget.'
Shahnawaj Hussain claimed that even five per cent of the announcements made by the rail minister cannot be implemented.
Describing the two per cent reduction in railway fare announced by minister as merely 'a drop in the ocean', he said, "After the market recession there has been drastic cut in fuel prices. Even the air fares of gone down and hence a greater reduction in rail fare was expected, which did not happen."
The BJP leader, however, thanked the minister for fulfilling most of his rail related demands for his constituency Bhagalpur, Bihar.
Congress hails Lalu's Interim Railway Budget: Congress described the railway budget as 'remarkable'. It was a commendable performance as no increase in passenger fare has taken place in all the six railway budgets presented by the UPA government, the party said.
"It is remarkable that in 6 years, no increase in passenger fare has taken place...It is a commendable performance," party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi told reporters.
Singhvi said the 'feat' of the railway ministry is unparalleled anywhere in the world and was comparable only to some countries where Railways was being run in the private sector.
Doling out statistics on earnings from freight and passenger fare, Singhvi said, "We are entitled to be self congratulatory without being complacent".
"It is not merely a flash in the pan...We have maintained the parameters over a long period of time," the spokesman said, adding the sector which was known for inefficiency and strikes has now become a sector which is 'uncomparable'.
Union ministers Jyotiraditya Scindia and Kapil Sibal too praised the rail budget describing it as 'progressive and aimed at providing better services to the people at lower cost.'