Poetic Mamata rocks the house

Amid outbursts, couplets and smiles, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee delivers a slice of spice and loads of freebies during her Budget speech in Parliament

Poetic Mamata rocks the house

Amid outbursts, couplets and smiles, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee delivers a slice of spice and loads of freebies during her Budget speech in Parliament

It may have been serious business that Mamata Banerjee was conducting but her trademark oratory skills, punctuated by couplets and angry outbursts, provided enough spice to the presentation of the Railway Budget in the Lok Sabha yesterday.

The Railway Minister joked, broke into poetry and even lost her cool during her 90-minute budget speech. "Dhyan se suno... sab hai isme," she kept telling members who wanted to know the proposals for their respective states.

Didi's ire

As some members persisted with enquiries and comments, the agitated minister lost her temper a number of times. "What is this?" she repeated several times.

Intermittently, she would tell the members, "Don't shout, don't shout." At one point, she commented angrily, "I cannot satisfy everybody".

Banerjee, who is aspiring to be the next Chief Minister of poll-bound West Bengal, however, defended the attention she was paying to her state through railway schemes.

Banerjee was also asked by JD(U) members from Bihar about the status of projects announced last year. "This is not a press conference," the Minister said, showing her exasperation.

Lighter vein

Providing some lighter moments, Banerjee read couplets like, "Hum aah bhi bharte hain to ho jaate hai badnaam, woh katl bhi karte hain to charcha nahi hoti."

The railway minister also quoted lines of a patriotic song 'Aye mere watan ke logon' from film Haqeeqat sung by Lata Mangeshkar.

The couplets were mentioned in her written speech but she initially did not read these as she wanted to skip some portions.

But Speaker Meira Kumar would not let her and told the Minister, "Please don't skip the beautiful couplets you have written." Responding to a member, she quipped, "Rail roko kabhi nahi kiya.
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That is our track record." She even took the help of Rabindranath Tagore's famous quotes "Give me the strength never to disown the poor or bend my knees before insolent might".

Banerjee concluded her speech with the line, "Agar jiyen to kamyabi milegi."

Too many questions

Irritated by the repeated interruptions, she even sat down at one point of time, refusing to continue the budget speech. She turned to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who was seated next to her, apparently conveying her unhappiness.

This was when members from Bihar, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh wanted to know what schemes she had for their states and alleged that she was showing favour to her native West Bengal.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Bansal and his former deputy V Narayansamy then walked to the opposition benches and tried to pacify the JD (U) members, some of whom had rushed to the well of the House.

Dhyan se suno... sab hai isme
Hum aah bhi bharte hain
to ho jaate hai badnaam,
woh katl bhi karte hain
to charcha nahi hoti

Don't shout, don't shout... This is not a press conference
Rail roko kabhi nahi kiya. That is our track record