Palakkad (Keralam) | The Congress-led UDF in Keralam will extend its agitation to New Delhi against the Railway Board's decision to shift the Mangaluru area from the Palakkad Division to the Mysuru Division from October 1, Congress MP V K Sreekandan said on Thursday.
He said the Centre and the Railway Ministry should withdraw the decision, failing which the agitation would be intensified and extended across the state as well and to the national capital.
"The agitation will be expanded across Keralam. We are also considering taking the protest to Delhi, in front of the Railway Ministry," he told a television channel here.
He termed the decision a move that would hamper railway development in Keralam and said the state would not accept, what he described as an "anti-democratic action".
"This is an attempt to undermine railway development in Keralam. It should be withdrawn. Keralam is not ready to accept this anti-democratic action," he said.
Sreekandan also alleged that the decision was aimed at appeasing a Karnataka lobby ahead of the upcoming elections and claimed that the Railways had no reason to take such a step.
"We will move ahead very strongly and seek the people's support," he said.
His remarks came a day after UDF leaders staged a day-long hunger strike in front of the Palakkad divisional railway manager's (DRM) office here, protesting the proposed transfer of the Mangaluru area, including Ullal.. The protest was attended by MPs and state ministers.
Chief Minister V D Satheesan had recently urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to put the decision on hold and reconsider it after consultations with the state government and other stakeholders.
In a letter to Modi, Satheesan said the decision had caused "serious concern" in Keralam as it was taken without prior consultation with the state government despite its significant and long-term implications for railway infrastructure and development, particularly in northern Kerala.
He also pointed out that Mangaluru had been an integral part of the Palakkad Division for decades and said the proposed transfer would take away Mangaluru Central and Mangaluru Junction, besides important railway infrastructure linked to the Mangaluru port region, including Panambur.
