CPI(M), Congress spar over railway division reorganisation plan

A senior CPI(M) official has challenged a Congress parliamentarian to demonstrate commitment to opposing railway division restructuring by staging an indefinite hunger strike outside the Railway Ministry headquarters in Delhi.

E.N. Suresh Babu, district secretary of the CPI(M), levelled the call at Congress MP V.K. Sreekandan, questioning the latter's resolve in fighting the proposed administrative changes affecting rail operations in the region.

Sreekandan responded sharply to the challenge, asserting that those genuinely committed to opposing government policies should direct their energy toward confronting the ruling BJP rather than engaging in personal attacks. The Congress leader's counter-argument suggested the CPI(M) was using the railway issue as a pretext for internal political point-scoring.

The exchange reflects broader disagreement between the two opposition parties over strategy in responding to the railway restructuring plan. While both have opposed the division split, they differ on the appropriate tactics and intensity of protest required to effectively resist the measure.