Priya calls on Lalu in Delhi

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Dec. 19: The Union I&B and parliamentary affairs minister, Mr Priya Ranjan Das Munshi, today met the Railway minister Mr Lalu Prasad in New Delhi and urged him to shelve the idea of making Balurghat the originating station for the Gour Express train, Malda Congress leaders said today.Mr Das Munshi faxed a copy of the memorandum that he submitted to Mr Lalu Prasad to the Malda Congress leaders. "You know that the late ABA Ghani Khan Choudhury was emotionally attached to the Gour Express as it was he who had introduced the train in Malda. He was strict against the extension of the train to Balurghat," the memorandum, read.Mr Das Munshi and the Malda MP Mr AH Khan Choudhury urged Mr Lalu Prasad to let the train continue to run between Malda and Sealdah, instead of Chitpur and Balurghat as is reportedly being planned by the Railway authorities. Mr Das Munshi suggested the Railway minister to run a link train between Balurghat and Malda to enable the passengers of South Dinajpur to board the Gour Express train in Malda. Mr Das Munshi is scheduled to reach Raiganj on 27 December to flag off a new train between Radhikapur in North Dinajpur and Chitpur in Kolkata, the Congress leaders, said.On the other hand, state parliamentary affairs minister Mr Sailen Sarkar yesterday wrote a letter to Mr Lalu Prasad, requesting him not to change the route of Gour Express. Mr Sarkar also expressed concern over the reported move of the Railways to lift the Janasatabdi Express train from the Malda town station.The Malda Congress leaders today sent a letter to Mrs Sonia Gandhi, informing her about the Railways' attempt to change the route of the Gour Express.Mr Jiban Moitra, the Malda district CPI-M secretary, said: "Mr AH Khan Choudhury should quit as Malda MP if he fails to stop the Railways' attempt to change the route of Gour Express." Today, all 25 councillors of the English Bazaar Municipality adopted a unanimous resolution to submit a memorandum to the Malda DRM protesting against the decision. The councillors have also announced that they would stage a rail roko tomorrow. Members of Malda Merchants' Chamber of commerce have convened a mass convention over this issue at the Malda college auditorium tomorrow.