Katihar, Feb. 28: The Bengal-bound trains at Katihar railway station faced the brunt of the Lok Janshakti Party workers as they protested against the railway budget, by attaching black flags on them.

Several party workers and district-level officers, including province secretary Samrendra Kunal and district president Mohammad Jahid, reached the station and sloganeered and planted flags on every Bengal-bound train in protest against Union railway minister Mamata Banerjee alleged partisan budget.

Kunal said the railway budget was influenced by regional politics as it has been prepared keeping in mind the Bengal Assembly elections. The state is slated to go to polls soon. “Such action by the Union minister will encourage regional politics and will poison Indian politics at the Centre,” Kunal added.

The party workers said the railway minister has overlooked projects concerning the Seemanchal region. While the projects that were planned in the railway ministry of Ram Vilas Paswan and Lalu Prasad has been ignored, old projects are not being given appropriate funds and new projects for the region has also been kept away, they alleged.

V.K. Thakur, a former member of National Rail Consultative Council, railway board, told The Telegraph: “The railway bridges that were damaged in the Kosi floods of 2008 have still not been repaired. A major accident can occur any time.

“While new trains, which should have been given to the Seemanchal region, have been kept away, the Kishanganj-Ajmer Garib Nawaz Express has also been taken away,” Thakur added.

Kunal said: “The railway minister will have to face the consequence of discriminating against Bihar in the forthcoming Bengal Assembly election. The party has conveyed the message to the people of Bihar living in Bengal.

Another local body, Seemanchal Rail Sangharsh Morcha had also organised several dharnas in the Purnea division, before the railway budget was tabled, under Thakur’s leadership. The members of the body had vented their anger at the different railway stations and demanded the implementation of the pending projects.

The members had also approached the divisional railway manager, Katihar, on February 14 to submit a memorandum, which stated that the organisation would stop trains at the different stations in Seemanchal region, as a part of their campaign.