Modi, Shah behind denial of trains for SIR rally: Telangana Congress
Telangana Congress workers said they will take buses to Delhi after Railways refuses special trains for the November 1 electoral roll protest at Ramlila Maidan
Hyderabad, Oct 28 (PTI) The ruling Congress in Telangana on Wednesday protested at the SCR headquarters here, alleging that the Railways had refused to provide special trains for party workers travelling to New Delhi for a rally against the SIR of electoral rolls.
State Congress president B Mahesh Kumar Goud, Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, several party MLAs and MPs, and other leaders participated in the protest outside the office of the South Central Railway General Manager.
They raised slogans such as “Hamein chahiye, rail chahiye” (We want trains) and “Vote bachao, desh bachao” (Save the vote, save the country).
The protest was staged after the Railways allegedly failed to respond positively to the party’s request for special trains, Congress sources said.
The protesting leaders were later taken by the police to the Monda Market police station here.
Goud alleged that the denial of special trains was at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
“If we are informed at the last minute that special train bookings cannot be allowed, how can our cadre go to Delhi?” he told reporters.
He, however, asserted that no force could stop Congress workers from travelling to the national capital. The party workers would travel to Delhi by buses and other modes of transport to participate in the rally to be led by Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, he said.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had earlier said that 10,000 to 15,000 Telangana Congress workers would travel to Delhi to attend the rally at Ramlila Maidan on November 1. PTI
