Congress leaders staged a protest at Rail Nilayam in Secunderabad on Wednesday after authorities denied special trains for a Delhi rally. The party accused the BJP-led government of blocking workers from attending the November 1 event. Now, the party plans to use over 200 buses to transport 15,000 people instead.
The Congress leaders accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of using the Railways to prevent party workers: Reports
HYDERABAD: Tension prevailed at Rail Nilayam in Secunderabad on Wednesday when Congress leaders, including ministers, MPs, MLAs and MLCs, staged a flash dharna after being prevented from meeting the South Central Railway (SCR) general manager. They were protesting the denial of special trains to transport party workers to Delhi for the I.N.D.I.A. bloc's November 1 rally against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Ministers Ponnam Prabhakar and Vakiti Srihari, TPCC president B. Mahesh Kumar Goud, MPs Mallu Ravi, Vem Narender Reddy and B. Anil Kumar Yadav, along with other party leaders and workers, protested outside the SCR headquarters. Police detained the protesters and took them to the Market police station in Secunderabad.
The Congress leaders accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of using the Railways to prevent party workers from attending the rally.
Goud alleged that railway authorities had kept the party's request pending for six days before rejecting it at the last minute, despite a formal representation submitted by MPs Anil Kumar Yadav and Mallu Ravi to the SCR general manager last week.
The issue was discussed at a Zoom meeting of Congress leaders early on Wednesday, following which they decided to stage a protest at Rail Nilayam.
Goud alleged that the decision to deny special trains was taken at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah as part of a conspiracy to prevent Congress leaders and workers from southern states from attending the rally.
Condemning the police action against the protesters, he asserted that the party would overcome the hurdles and ensure a strong turnout in Delhi.
The I.N.D. I.A. bloc is organising the November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan as part of its nationwide campaign against the SIR of electoral rolls.
Following the rejection of the special-train request, the TPCC, acting on the directions of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, has drawn up alternative arrangements to mobilise around 15,000 people from Telangana for the rally.
The party plans to hire more than 200 buses to transport its workers to Delhi. The buses will leave Hyderabad on October 30 and stop at Adilabad for lunch before proceeding to Nagpur, where they are expected to arrive by night.
The contingent is scheduled to reach Agra on the morning of October 31 and continue to Delhi after breakfast.
The Congress leadership has arranged accommodation for the participants in Delhi, where they will attend the rally on November 1. Party leaders said the denial of special trains would not affect their mobilisation target.