Any fool can write on the budget after it is presented, and most do. Bibek Debroy imagines Mamata Banerjee’s railway budget before it is presented, in The Indian Express:
“Madam Speaker, I rise to place before the House the Railway Budget for 2009-10. “The real power in politics — is it manpower? Alas! In a real sense it is money power.” Members may not know this quote is from a poem titled “Politics” I penned while I was putting finishing touches to this speech.
“Madam Speaker, this is a budget and it is about money. But I will come to that later. This is a historic occasion. Never before in history has the Railway Budget been presented by a lady before a lady speaker. The Yadavs in this House need reminding I was India’s first lady Railway minister in 2000.
“Even as I speak, my mind is on my next poem and it will say, “Three Ms bring power and make the others cower.” I do not refer to Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing. That is “No-No”. I mean “Ma-maati-maanush”, with Meira-Mamata-Mukherjee as a sub-strand. That is how we will transform our “Jaago Bangla” message to “Jaago Bharat”. In celebration of this trinity, I am sending a shawl to Ram Vilas Paswan. As in 1997, I would have thrown it at him in this august House. But unfortunately, he lost the elections.”
Read the full article: On a different track
Tags: Bibek Debroy, Churumuri, Mamata Banerjee, Meira Kumar, Pranab Mukherjee, Railway Budget, Ram Vilas Paswan, The Indian Express
