BENGALURU: The Congress has accused railway officials of preventing its supporters from going to Delhi for a mega rally on November 1 by rejecting its request for special trains.
KPCC president BK Hariprasad said the party had asked the Railways for two special trains, one each from Bengaluru and Hubballi. But the officials rejected the request. “We will take the general compartments of KK Express and other trains to Delhi,” he said. Some workers have taken trains to Chennai and are using connecting services from places such as Katpadi Junction, where trains from Kerala to Delhi can be boarded. Others have reached Delhi by flight or other modes of transport.
“We feel let down by the railway officials,” Hariprasad said. The party hopes to send a few thousand supporters from Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka to Delhi for the rally.
Congress sources said Telangana too faced a similar problem and alleged that they submitted letters requesting two special trains from Hyderabad to Delhi well in advance. The railway officials took no action for five days. The request was rejected for the previous night’s departure.
The sources said they suspect that the officials are under pressure from the Ministry of Railways. The general manager of the Railways has rejected the Congress request. They accused the BJP of trying to stop Congress workers from South India going to Delhi for the rally.
The sources said the Telangana Congress has switched to road transport, with a large number of workers travelling by buses. Around 100 buses have been hired. “We will reach Delhi by November 1 and take part in the rally. All this pettiness will not stop us from protesting,” the sources said.