UPA govt weak-kneed on fare hike, says Jaitley

Hitting back at Congress for criticising passenger fare and freight hike, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said the former UPA government was "weak-kneed" in implementing the decision it took and the present dispensation has the "courage" to take the necessary step.
"Railway Board recommended increase in fares on February 6 and Railway Minister met Prime Minister on February 10. But you (Mallikarjun Kharge) developed cold feet because of elections. This shows weak-kneed government cannot take decision," Jaitley said in the Lok Sabha while replying to the debate on the General Budget 2014-15.
"Khargeji you said let the economy suffer. Let the Railways suffer. My votes should not suffer. So on May 16 in the evening you reversed the order on increase and said let your successor decide. This was a wise decision Kharge took but did not have the courage to implement," Jaitley said.

Railways issued notification for increase in passenger fare by 14.2 per cent and 6.5 per cent hike in freight on May 16, the day Lok Sabha election results were announced. However later in the day, the decision was withheld till further notice. Railways was aiming to mop up Rs 8,000 crore from the hike.
Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda decided to go ahead with the 14.2 per cent hike in passenger fare and 6.5 per cent increase in freight on June 20 and the decision was implemented on June 25.
Taking a dig at his predecessor, Jaitley said "your successor had the courage to implement. Now you are criticising your successor."

He wondered as to why Kharge was criticising the decision as "anti-people" when he had himself decided it.
Jaitely then underlined the fact that there is a need for educating people about it. "You need to educate people that users need to pay. We have to sacrifice populism," he said.