Sonia GandhiCongress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday attacked the Centre over the Railway Ministry’s proposal to corporatise its production units, including the Modern Coach Factory (MCF) in her constituency of Rae Bareli, and accused the government of selling the country’s assets to private players at a throwaway price.
Raising the matter in the Lok Sabha during zero hour, Sonia alleged that corporatising the production unit was the “first step” towards privatising state-owned firms. “Those who don’t understand the real meaning of corporatization… it is actually the first step towards privatisation. They are selling the country’s assets to a handful of private players at a throwaway price. This will leave thousands unemployed,” she said as Opposition MPs thumped their desks.
Sonia said MCF is the most modern factory of the Indian Railways and manufactures best coaches at the cheapest rates.
“The factory (MCF) is producing more than its capacity. The governments had invested heavily in it. But now why the future of the workers is in limbo? It is difficult to understand why the government wants to resort to corporatization,” she said.
Sonia, who pointed out that the primary duty of the PSU is welfare of the people, said the future of 2,000 workers remains uncertain due to the government’s move. She said neither the trade unions nor the workers were taken into confidence before initiating such a move.
She also took a dig at the BJP-led government for stopping the practise of having a separate railway Budget.
The Congress leader also highlighted the poor condition of other PSUs like Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. “Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had termed Public Sector Undertakings as temples of modern India. Today, it is sad to see that these temples are under threat,” she said.
Later, the Railways responded to Sonia’s statement in the House, clarifying that corporatisation is not the same as privatisation.
A top official said that the Railways proposes to make a PSU called Indian Railway Rolling Stock Company, and shift the production units — including MCF, Rae Bareli — to that.
“This means they will remain under government control but will be better managed as these production units will become fully functional PSUs. This will help drive technology partnership and modernisation. PSUs are government controlled units but function in a more autonomous and efficient manner. They give better output and their employees have better facilities than in Government,” the official said. “Railways will consult with unions and ensure no harm comes to employees. Railways will also ensure best utilisation of taxpayer funds.”
