Railways will shut if fares are not hiked: Jaitley

New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, in a reply to a discussion in the Rajya Sabha on the first day of the Budget session of Parliament, put the blame for rise in prices of essentials squarely on the previous Congress-led UPA government.

The Congress, BSP and CPI-M staged a walkout saying they were dissatisfied with his reply. Trinamool Congress MPs had walked out during his speech.

Jaitley, who will present the union budget this week, assured the House that the government had contained prices and was committed to keeping them in check. “There is sufficient supply of onion and potato; there is no need for panic,” he said, in a speech frequently interrupted by Opposition members.

“Prices for some commodities rise because of lack of supply, it is not possible to fill this gap in five weeks (that the Narendra Modi government has been in power),” he said, adding, “What surprises me is that the party which brought the economy to this state wants to put the blame on someone else today.”

The Railways will shut in two months, if fares are not hiked, said Jaitley. On the eve of the Railway Budget, the minister explained a recent hike in rail fares that the new government effected to much anger and protests. Jaitley furnished documents to show that the Congress government had in February this year given a go-ahead for such a hike from May, and then held back the decision for the new government to take.

He wanted to know why the same Congress was opposing a hike now. “By the interim budget in February this year, the loss to the Railways on account of subsidised passenger fares was Rs. 30,000 crore…If you’re using a service, you should pay for it,” said Jaitley, who is also leader of the Rajya Sabha.

Today was the first day of the Modi government’s first Budget Session. A united opposition demanded discussions on price rise and the rail fare hike in both houses. The government, which is in a minority in the Rajya Sabha, agreed to a debate immediately. 

The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day as the opposition and government could not agree on how to conduct the discussion — with or without voting.