Congress President Rahul Gandhi held a roadshow in Wayanad on Saturday, 8 June, to thank voters on the second day of his three-day trip to his parliamentary constituency.
After the roadshow, the Congress president said that he is humbled by the love and affection showered on him by the people of Wayanad.
Reviving his searing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the Lok Sabha polls debacle, Gandhi said, “We are fighting poison at national level,” and added that Modi used “lies to win the elections”.
“He represents the worst sentiments of this country. He represents anger, he represents hatred, he represents insecurity and he represents lies,” Gandhi said in Wayanad.
On Friday, 7 June, Gandhi accused Modi and the BJP of spreading “hatred and intolerance” and reiterated that the Congress will continue to fight against the same.
The Congress chief said that the party will emerge as a strong opposition and defend the poor.
“Modi might have so much money. He might have media by his side... He might have rich friends with him, but the Congress party will continue to fight against the intolerance created by the BJP.”Rahul Gandhi
Thousands, including women and children, braved the downpour to catch a glimpse of the leader, who arrived on a three-day tour in the constituency after he was voted to the Lok Sabha with a margin of about 4.31 lakh votes.
‘I Will Fight for the People of Wayanad’
As the vehicle carrying the Congress president inched its way through the crowded road, frenzied party workers danced, waving tricolour flags and posters with the pictures of their party chief, chanting "We are with you". Beating drums, they also greeted him shouting, "Rahul, Rahul." The green flags of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a coalition partner of the opposition Congress-led UDF, could also be seen fluttering in the crowd.
A heavy security blanket by the SPG, anti-Naxal squad and the Kerala Police was in place for the VVIP visit.
The security personnel were on their toes as Kalikavu, where the roadshow moved in the bylanes, is considered a Naxal-affected area.
Gandhi, accompanied by state Congress leaders Mullappally Ramachandran, opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala and MLA AP Anil Kumar, among others, was seen waving at the crowd from the vehicle.
“I will fight for the people of Wayanad. I will take up the issues of Wayanad inside and outside Parliament. I will work for the constituency, work with you, listen to you.”Rahul Gandhi
He said even though he is a Congress man, he will work beyond politics, and for people from all walks of life.
Gandhi said since he is an MP of Kerala, he will raise issues not only of Wayanad but also of the people of the entire state in and outside Parliament.
The Congress and its allies won 19 out of 20 seats in Kerala, the only state besides Punjab and Tamil Nadu where it has done well in this Lok Sabha election.
The Congress president arrived at Kozhikode airport in the afternoon and was scheduled to participate in at least 15 public receptions across the constituency, spread over in the districts of Wayanad, Malappuram and Kozhikode, in the next two days.
Scores of party workers and leaders were at the airport to receive Gandhi.
The Congress chief had a meeting with senior UDF leaders, including Ramesh Chennithala and PK Kunhalikutty.
Visit to ‘Boost Morale of Party Workers’
A senior Congress leader from the constituency said Gandhi's visit will boost the morale of the party workers to fight the Assembly bypolls.
In his first communication as an MP, Gandhi had written to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan regarding the suicide of a farmer in Wayanad.
Vijayan had responded in a letter that the issue of providing relief to the families of farmers who killed themselves over failure to repay bank loans needs to be taken up in parliament.
Earlier in the day, Gandhi tweeted, “I will be in Wayanad, Kerala, starting this afternoon and till Sunday to meet citizens and Congress party workers. It's a packed schedule with over 15 public receptions planned over the next three days.”
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