Patna: RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Wednesday said
he voluntarily returned his railway golden pass that was
introduced during his tenure as Railway minister.
Reacting to some reports about Railway Minister Mamata
Banerjee cancelling the golden pass issued to him, Prasad said
"I preferred to return the pass on my own when Mamataji became
the Railway Minister."
He said, "the decision to issue the golden pass for
former and present Railway ministers was taken in consultation
with Railway Board officials when a proposal came to me,"
Prasad told reporters here.
Earlier, bureaucrats and the former railway ministers
too enjoyed the benefits of the golden pass with an attendant,
he said. "But, I made it four for ex-railway ministers and the
present one as ministers deserve it."
It was different matter that the decision was
rescinded when Mamata Banerjee took the charge at Rail Bhavan,
he said.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, January 20, 2010, 22:11