Thaindian News

Cooch Behar/Siliguri (West Bengal), Jan 29 (IANS) Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee Saturday said the CPI-M should compare what they had done for implementation of railway projects in West Bengal during UPA-I with what has been done by her party during UPA-II. “The CPI-M can only criticise and sabotage railway projects. Before criticising our projects, they must think how many railway projects they had implemented during UPA-I regime, when they supported the Congress with 41 MPs,” said Banerjee.

“They should compare what they had done during a full tenure and what we have done in only one-and-half year of the UPA-II government with only 19 MPs. With only one cabinet ministry, we have been able to implement several development projects across the state and country,” said the Trinamool supremo.

“The CPI-M will not be able to compete with us in initiating and implementing development projects. What we have done in one year they will not be able to do in 10,000 years.”

“In spite of ruling the state for over 34 years, they have done nothing for the development of North Bengal,” she charged.

“North Bengal lacks specialty hospitals, colleges, medical colleges and transportation,” said Banerjee.

“The total investment of Railways in several projects across North Bengal is several times higher than that of the total allotment of the MPs and MLAs representing the region,” she said.

“It definitely proves that the Trinamool Congress is in favour of development,” said Banerjee at a railway function in Siliguri.

The minister flagged off the New Jalpaiguri-Amritsar express, New Jalpaiguri-Chennai Central and New Jalpaiguri-Darbhanga (weekly) Express and laid the foundation stone for a new railway track from Jogbani, an Indo-Nepal border town in Bihar, to Biratnagar in Nepal.

“The new line connecting North Bengal with Nepal will help in future development of the area. In future, more new projects will come up for the development of the area,” she added.