MAOIST INTELLECTUALS LOOT RAILWAY FUND

There is no denying the fact that a number of Maoist intellectuals and other opportunists in the guise of impartiality and neutrality had played a pivotal role in sabotaging industrialization at Singur, Nandigram and developmental works in West Bengal during the last three years in connivance with industrial competitors, big business houses and imperialists. They had also worked day in and day out campaigning in favour of Mamata Banerjee and her party candidates during the last Parliamentary Elections, 2009. Apart from this, they have also been supporting Maoists and instrumental in inciting criminals and antisocials to create serious problems of law and order in the state to destabilize the Left Front Government in West Bengal.

After becoming Union Railway Minister, Mamata Banerjee has constituted three new Committees to reward these Maoist intellectuals and the opportunists. Under her instruction, the Railway Board under the Ministry of Railways, Government of India has issued a Government Order bearing No. ERB-1/2009/23/33 on 9th October 2009 constituting the said committees with detailed facilities.

1 Heritage and Cultural Committee under the chairpersonship of Smt. Shaoli Mitra

2 Passengers’ Amenities Committee under the chairpersonship of Shri Subhaprasanna Bhattacharjee

3 Passengers’ Services Committee under the chairpersonship of Shri Derek-o-Brayen

The entire expenses of these committees will be borne by the Indian Railways. Each full time member of the Committee will be paid Rs. 50,000/- (Rupees Fifty Thousand) as monthly salary and each part-timer will be paid Rs. 25,000/- per month. They will be also provided with the following facilities and amenities free of cost as per the said Government Order.

· Meeting allowance @ Rs. 520/-per day

· Free 1st Class AC Railway Pass with one companion

· Travel in Executive Class by flight

· Travel on road by car to be provided by the Indian Railways

· Lodging and boarding in Class I hotel anywhere

· Free telephone with ISD/STD facilities both at residence and office

· Free Medical treatment and facilities at the cost of the Indian Railways

· TA & DA at par with railway officers

Each and every Member of the Committees can appoint his/her own Private Secretary and of peons. All of them will also be provided separate office and expenses for the same.

The Chairperson of each committee can enlarge his /her Committee by co-opting any person thought to be necessary.

The total expenditure in maintaining these three Committees comes around 50 Lakhs (Rupees Fifty Lakhs) per month.

These committees are unprecedented in the history of the Indian Railways. This is the first time that such expensive committees have been constituted at the cost of the public exchequer to accommodate sycophants and ‘so-called’ champions of tribals and downtrodden. These sycophants often used to raise the questions of nepotism, corruption and exploitation. But now they are most shamelessly drawing huge money from railway exchequer without performing any job.

The pseudo intellectuals Bibhas Chakraborty, theatre personality, Arpita Ghosh, theatre personality, Joy Goswami, poet, Bratya Basu, theatre personality, Pallab Kirtania, Singer, Rituparna Ghosh, film director, Ustad Rashid Khan, artist, GS Raitela, Director General, National Council of Science Museum, Ratan Thiyam, theatre personality and many others have been made their members. Rajesh Agarwal, Executive Director of Railway Board, will act as the Coordinating Officer.

The entire exercise is nothing but blatant misuse of power and public exchequer for the promotion of the interests of the sycophants and the party.