Telangana Congress Protests at South Central Railway Office, Demands Special Trains for Delhi Rally

Congress leaders staged a protest outside the South Central Railway (SCR) office in Secunderabad on Wednesday, demanding special trains from Telangana to transport party workers and supporters to the INDIA bloc’s ‘Vote Bachao Maha Rally’ scheduled to be held in Delhi on November 1.

The demonstration was led by Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Mahesh Kumar Goud, with several ministers, MPs, MLAs and party workers joining the protest. Following the demonstration, police arrested Goud and other Congress leaders, including ministers, and shifted them to Monda Market Police Station.

Goud alleged that the party had booked trains on October 22 to facilitate travel to the rally at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi, but permission was subsequently denied. He accused the Centre of deliberately obstructing the arrangements to prevent Congress workers and leaders from southern states from attending the event.

Questioning the decision, Goud alleged that the refusal to provide special trains was influenced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He described the rally as significant for the Congress and the country, adding that police had behaved harshly towards leaders who approached railway authorities over the issue.

Goud said the mobilisation was being carried out under the directions of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. He asserted that the party would reach Delhi and protest against the Centre’s policies even if special trains were not provided.

State Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said the Congress would continue its fight for the train arrangements and would not accept what he described as authoritarian measures. Congress leader Mota Rohith also criticised the denial of permission, arguing that party workers should be allowed to travel to Delhi to express their views democratically. He accused the BJP of attempting to prevent the gathering and said the protest would continue until their demands were addressed.

Meanwhile, Delhi Police issued a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the November 1 rally from a law-and-order perspective. However, organisers must obtain separate approval from the authorities managing Ramlila Maidan and comply with the prescribed conditions. The rally has been permitted between 10 am and 5 pm, with overnight stays prohibited.

A letter from the Central District Deputy Commissioner of Police’s office to Congress functionary Manish Chatrath referred to the party’s request to reserve the venue from October 25 to November 3. The INDIA bloc intends to raise concerns over electoral roll revisions, democratic institutions and Central government policies at the rally.