Secret ruse and last-minute mobilisation: How Congress pulled off ultimate security blindside at PM’s residence

NEW DELHI: Congress leaders caught intelligence agencies and security forces completely off guard on Tuesday by staging an unannounced protest directly in front of the Prime Minister's high-security residence in New Delhi, executing a plan that remained a closely guarded secret until the final moments. The demonstration, which took place at Gate No. 2 of the Prime Minister’s residence on Lok Kalyan Marg, was known beforehand to only a handful of senior figures, including party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and K.C. Venugopal.

The operation relied on a last-minute assembly. All Congress MPs were instructed to arrive at Kharge’s Rajaji Marg residence by 3 p.m. under the pretext of celebrating his birthday. Only after the lawmakers gathered were they informed of the true objective.

At approximately 3:30 p.m., the leaders traveled in a minimal number of vehicles to the Lok Kalyan Marg compound. Security personnel, including the Special Protection Group (SPG), only realized the demonstration was underway when the leaders lined up at Gate No. 2, an entrance used exclusively by the Prime Minister. Media outlets learned of the protest only after it had already begun.

Chief Ministers brought in at eleventh hour

The surprise action also involved bringing two state chief ministers into the fold at the last minute. Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan was summoned to Delhi on Monday evening under the official pretext of discussing KPCC reorganization. Arriving at 11 p.m., he sat out Tuesday's daytime discussions and missed scheduled meetings with central ministers while awaiting word from Rahul Gandhi, ultimately joining the protest before immediately returning to Kerala.

Similarly, Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar was brought to the capital for state cabinet reorganization talks. The inclusion of protocol-protected chief ministers in the active protest line was a deliberate, planned strategy.

Political indications suggest that the high-profile demonstration was deemed essential by the party to overshadow the public traction recently gained by the Cockroach Janata Party over a question paper leak controversy.