People of Wayanad will ask me not to come there often: Priyanka Gandhi

PTI, Nov 5, 2024, 3:00 PM IST

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the UDF candidate in the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll, said on Tuesday that it will be the people of the hill constituency who will ultimately decide if they want her to stay in Delhi, instead of visiting frequently.

Priyanka made this remark in response to her rival candidates’ comments suggesting that she would rarely be seen in Wayanad if she won the seat.

Recalling the time when her son was in boarding school, she said that she had visited him so often that the principal eventually asked her to reduce her visits.

“So, to anyone saying you won’t see me, it will be you—like the principal—who will say, ‘please, enough now, go and stay in Delhi for a while,’” she said while addressing a corner meeting at Kodancheri in the Thiruvambadi Assembly constituency in Kozhikode district.

Priyanka said for her, each person in Wayanad represents “a duty, a responsibility, a strong bond of love and affection” and expressed hope that they would give her the opportunity to represent them in Parliament.

LDF candidate Sathyan Mokeri claimed that, like her brother Rahul, Priyanka would treat Wayanad as a brief stop, visiting occasionally and not being present consistently.

BJP’s Navya Haridas likened Priyanka’s arrival and roadshow to a “seasonal festival” that only comes once a year.

On the third day of her five-day by-poll campaign, Priyanka reiterated that essential issues—such as unemployment and rising prices—remain unaddressed.

She continued to accuse the BJP-led Centre of engaging in “divisive politics”.

The Congress leader highlighted local issues, including the lack of a medical college, restrictions on night travel, and human-animal conflicts, and commended her brother Rahul Gandhi for his efforts to resolve them.

She noted that due to his pressure, the government upgraded a hospital in Wayanad to a medical college, though it still lacks essential facilities due to “political reasons”.

Priyanka urged residents to exert pressure to resolve these issues and emphasised the importance of maximising the potential of the district by creating employment opportunities.

“We can achieve this by promoting various forms of tourism, such as ecotourism and spiritual tourism,” she said.

The Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency comprises seven Assembly segments—Mananthavady (ST), Sulthan Bathery (ST), and Kalpetta in Wayanad district; Thiruvambady in Kozhikode district; and Eranad, Nilambur, and Wandoor in Malappuram district.

Priyanka resumed her second campaign phase on Sunday, holding public and corner meetings with her brother, Rahul Gandhi, in the hill constituency.

The Congress general secretary, who is making her electoral debut, will remain in Kerala until November 7, according to her itinerary.

The by-election for the Wayanad seat became necessary after Rahul Gandhi, who won Lok Sabha seats from both Wayanad and Raebareli decided to vacate Wayanad.

Voting will be held on November 13.