Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president and State Minister for Power Sunny Joseph inaugurating a satyagraha by UDF MPs in front of the Palakkad Divisional Railway Manager’s office at Olavakode on Wednesday (August 26, 2026).
| Photo Credit: ABDUL LATHEEF NAHA
More than a dozen United Democratic Front (UDF) MPs and several MLAs staged a satyagraha in front of the Palakkad Divisional Railway Manager’s office at Olavakode on Wednesday (August 26, 2026), demanding that the proposed truncation of the Palakkad railway division be dropped.The protest was held on Thiruvonam as Keralites across the world celebrated Onam. The MPs chose the day of celebration for the protest, stressing their demand to retain the Mangaluru region with the Palakkad division rather than transfer it to the Mysuru division.The satyagraha, coordinated by Palakkad MP V.K. Sreekandan, began at 9.30 a.m. and continued until evening. MPs E.T. Mohammed Basheer, M.K. Raghavan, Rajmohan Unnithan, Anto Antony, Benny Behanan, Shafi Parambil and Dean Kuriakose joined Mr. Sreekandan in the protest.Revenue lossesThey said the proposed move would weaken the Palakkad railway division and cause significant revenue losses. Mr. Raghavan said the division could lose more than ₹1,000 crore in annual revenue if Mangaluru was removed. He also warned that the move could affect the division’s viability and lead to the transfer of hundreds of railway employees.
