Congress’ decision to field Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad appears to have invited scrutiny from allies and rivals alike. As the electoral battle heats up in the coming days, all eyes will be on Wayanad, where the clash between Annie Raja and Rahul Gandhi is poised to capture the nation’s attention. After Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan slammed the Congress and Rahul Gandhi over contesting the Lok Sabha election from the Waynad seat, now it was the turn of another left leader, D Raja who hit back at the scion of Nehru-Gandhi family for contesting elections from Wayanad.
The decision of Rahul Gandhi to contest the elections against one of the I.N.D.I Alliance partners exposes the rift within the coalition partners.
As CPI leader Annie Raja contests against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, D Raja says, “Certain questions are being raised in public today as to why Congress decided to field Rahul Gandhi against Annie Raja from Wayanad. What message does Congress want to send out? Fielding Rahul Gandhi from Wayanad is a short-sighted decision of Congress. He could have chosen any other constituency in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka…Congress should take note of why people are raising questions.”
After Pinarayi Vijayan, another Left leader questions Congress over #Wayanad
D Raja asks," What message does Congress want to send out? Fielding #RahulGandhi from Wayanad is a short-sighted decision of Congress"#LokSabhaElections2024 pic.twitter.com/zAHSNohhW1
— Organiser Weekly (@eOrganiser) April 3, 2024
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, during the press conference during the Lok Sabha poll campaigning, remarked, “Why is he fighting from Wayanad against I.N.D.I. Alliance partner CPI(M)?”
He emphasised that Rahul Gandhi’s primary contender in Wayanad is not the BJP but the LDF candidate Annie Raja. Vijayan contended that Gandhi should have refrained from this and directly confronted the BJP instead.
Questioning Gandhi’s decision to contest from Wayanad, Vijayan questioned, “He (Rahul Gandhi) has an important role in the Congress party. Why is he contesting from here? Is he fighting Surendran or the BJP here? Here, LDF is the major power, and he is here to fight the Left.”
Expressing dismay over the formation of the I.N.D.I. Alliance to combat the BJP, Vijayan remarked, “However, a senior leader, part of the I.N.D.I. Alliance, comes to Kerala to fight the LDF, which is also part of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc. What should we understand from this?”
He continued, “Rahul Gandhi is facing (CPI leader) Annie Raja at Wayanad. She is a senior Left leader with national stature.”
Vijayan asserted that Annie Raja, despite being branded as ‘anti-national’ for highlighting the mistreatment of Christians in Manipur, is being contested against by Rahul Gandhi.
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