Wayanad Bypoll: Politics in country, Kerala not genuinely working for people, says Priyanka Gandhi

PTI, Nov 5, 2024, 7:40 PM IST

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (PTI /File)

Wayanad (Kerala): Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, the UDF candidate in the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll, on Tuesday took a dig at both the BJP-led Central government and the CPI(M)-led Kerala government, stating that politics in India and Kerala “is not genuinely and honestly working for the people.”

On the third day of her five-day bypoll campaign in the hill constituency, Priyanka highlighted Wayanad’s lack of adequate drinking water, education, and healthcare facilities, along with the need for improvements in tourism and setbacks in the farming sector.

“The only real answer is that the politics we are seeing in the country and state is not genuinely and honestly working for you,” she contended.

Priyanka noted that despite Wayanad producing high-quality agricultural products, including spices, many farmers see no future in agriculture, with residents, including students, migrating abroad for better job opportunities and higher education.

“There would not be any delay in social welfare pension payments if the government were truly working for you,” she added during corner meetings at Koodaranji and Pannikode in the Thiruvambadi Assembly constituency in Kozhikode district, despite heavy rainfall.

She also cautioned against politicising issues directly affecting people, including compensation related to Wayanad’s landslides. “No matter who is in power, no one should play politics with it,” she said.

Priyanka slammed the last decade of Indian politics as “very sad and shameful,” accusing the BJP of focusing on retaining power through divisive means rather than addressing public needs. She claimed the BJP diverts attention by spreading fear, hatred, and divisiveness.

She further alleged that while the BJP-led Central government has waived Rs 16 lakh crore in loans for big businesses, it has neglected farmers struggling under financial burdens. “So, vote for the right kind of politics,” she urged.

Later, at her final corner meeting of the day in Kizhissery Town, Eranad Assembly constituency in Malappuram district, she again raised issues like unemployment, rising prices, and inadequate healthcare.

Earlier in the day, while addressing a corner meeting in Kodancheri, Thiruvambadi Assembly constituency, Priyanka told the people of Wayanad that they would ultimately decide if they wanted her to stay in Delhi instead of visiting frequently—a remark addressing rival candidates’ claims that she would rarely be present in Wayanad if elected.

Recalling when her son was in boarding school, she joked that her frequent visits led his principal to ask her to reduce them.

“So, for those saying you won’t see me, you may end up, like the principal, saying, ‘Please, enough now, go and stay in Delhi for a while’,” she said.

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

Meanwhile, LDF candidate Sathyan Mokeri claimed that, like her brother Rahul, Priyanka would treat Wayanad as a temporary stop and would not be consistently present.

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

The Wayanad 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.

During her corner meetings, Priyanka highlighted local issues, such as the absence of a medical college, restrictions on night travel, and human-animal conflicts. She commended her brother Rahul for his efforts to address these issues, noting that his pressure on the government led to the upgrading of a hospital in Wayanad to a medical college, though it still lacks essential facilities due to “political reasons.”

Priyanka urged residents to push for solutions to these issues and emphasised the potential of creating jobs by promoting various forms of tourism, such as ecotourism and spiritual tourism.

Priyanka resumed her second campaign phase on Sunday, holding public and corner meetings alongside 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.

The by-election for the Wayanad seat is scheduled for November 13.