Punjab Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh Badal today described the hike in the Railway fares as a “last nail in the coffin” of Congress led UPA government which was least sensitive to the hardships of a common man despite its tall claims to be the votary of ‘Aam Aadmi’. In a statement the Chief Minister said the hike of 2 to 10 paise per kilometer in the Railway fare was a stab in the back of countrymen especially the poor for whom Railway was the only mode of economic and viable public carrier. Mr Badal said today the people across the nation belonging to different strata of society feel ditched and dejected despite assurance by the Union not to recommend any hike in the Railway fare. He said this hike in the fare of Railways would certainly put a hole in the pocket of common man and make his life further miserable as the fares of the alternate Public transport including state Roadways buses across the country had already enhanced to offset the subsequent hikes in the prices of Diesel by the Government of India (GoI). Reacting sharply to media reports regarding the purported move of the UPA government at centre to hike the price of subsidized LPG Gas Cylinders by Rs 130 besides deregulating diesel through hike of Rs 1 per liter in its price every month for next 10 to 15 months, the Chief Minister assailed the centre for inflicting another severe blow to the countrymen. Cautioning the UPA government to desist from such anti-people moves lest the people would teach a befitting lesson to them in the forthcoming Lok Sabha Polls, Mr Badal said, “UPA can’t take the innocent voters of the country for ride as one can befool a person only once and not everyone for all times to come”.
Without mincing words, the Chief Minister said it is writing on the wall that Congress by such ill conceived and treacherous moves would be decimated from the electoral scene of the country in 2014 General elections.