Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who visited Kerala on Wednesday, confessed to being torn between which Lok Sabha constituency to relinquish—Wayanad or Rae Bareli. However, during his time in Wayanad, he strongly hinted that he might give up the Kerala seat.
State BJP chief K. Surendran, who contested against Gandhi and came in third, called Gandhi’s indication "cheating." In the meantime, advertisement boards in Wayanad have started welcoming Gandhi's sister and party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi to contest the by-election.
Gandhi arrived at the Kozhikode airport in the morning and then drove to Edavana in Malappuram district, part of his constituency. He received a warm welcome and, in his first public meeting, shared his dilemma about Wayanad and Rae Bareli. "Unfortunately like Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi, I am not guided by god, as I am a human being...God takes all decisions. But I don’t have that luxury as I am an ordinary human being. My god is the poor people of India. My god is the people of Wayanad... What I will commit to the people of Wayanad and Raebareli... whatever decision taken ... all of you will be happy,” said Gandhi.
During another meeting at Kalpetta in Wayanad, Gandhi affirmed that his relationship with Wayanad would endure beyond elections and votes.
"Speculations have started whether it’s Wayanad or Rae Bareli. Everybody knows the answer except me. In politics, all know except the person who has to make the decision. Don’t worry, the people at Rae Bareli and Wayanad will be happy with the decision, I will be making," he said.
He expressed his understanding of the issues in Wayanad. "There are issues of man-animal conflict, night travel, and health sector. The Congress and I are well aware of all these and I assure you all issues of Wayanad will be addressed," he added.
State Congress President and Kannur MP K. Sudhakaran expressed mixed emotions about the situation, saying, "The victory of the Congress and Rahul’s wins makes me happy, but his leaving Wayanad makes me sad," Sudhakaran said.
Meanwhile, Surendran criticized Gandhi’s potential decision to vacate Wayanad as a betrayal. "We had told the voters that he would ditch Wayanad. Earlier he said Wayanad's people are his family, but now he says it’s Rae Bareli's people who are his family... before it was Amethi. He did not even have the courtesy to tell the voters of Wayanad before the elections that he would vacate it. Now that a by-election is thrust on the voters of Wayanad, they will give the Congress an apt reply," he said.
Gandhi retained his Wayanad seat with a reduced margin of 3.64 lakh votes, compared to 4.37 lakh in 2019.
Read also | Chandrababu Naidu Sworn in as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Shares Emotional Moment
