KOZHIKODE:
LDF
and BJP candidates criticised Congress for fielding
Rahul Gandhi
’s from
Rae Bareli
right after he contested against them in
Wayanad
, where polls were held on April 26.
LDF candidate Annie Raja claimed Gandhi had been unjust to the people of Wayanad because he hid his decision to contest from Rae Bareli till polls ended in Wayanad. “In parliamentary polls, a person can contest from two seats and, if he wins from both seats, he will have to resign from one constituency and that would amount to injustice to the voters there.
That he was going to contest from another constituency was hidden from the people of Wayanad and this does not align with political morality,” she said, adding he should have told the people of Wayanad that he was contesting from two seats before the polls.
Responding to a question on AICC general secretary KC Venugopal’s statement that Rae Bareli,
Amethi
and Wayanad were dear to his party, and that Rae Bareli was a seat that was held by Indira Gandhi, and till recently by Sonia Gandhi, Annie said Rahul contested from Wayanad for the second time saying he had an emotional attachment though he had not done anything particular for the people there.
Meanwhile CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam said that as an INDIA bloc member, CPI will extend support to Gandhi in Rae Bareli in his contest against BJP. “We have been saying that Congress in Kerala lacks political foresight and they insisted on Rahul’s candidature from Wayanad, which is a politically wrong move. Now Congress realised that it was politically wrong and is rectifying its mistake. We welcome this correction,” he said.
BJP candidate K Surendran said Gandhi had deceived the people of Wayanad and Kerala and his decision to contest from Rae Bareli instead of Amethi showed his cowardice. “If he had contested from Amethi, then one would have said he was contesting to wrest back his seat. Instead, he is contesting from the sole seat where Congress won in the previous election,” he said.
