"Voters of Wayanad betrayed by Rahul Gandhi": BJP's CR Kesavan

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], October 28 (ANI): Hitting out at the Congress party for nominating Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from Wayanad, Bhartiya Janata party national spokesperson CR Kesavan on Monday said that the voters of the constituency have been betrayed by the Gandhi family.

The Congress party has nominated Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for the Wayanad constituency, which is holding by-elections following Rahul Gandhi's decision to hold the Amethi seat rather than Wayanad.

Wayanad seat was vacated by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after he was also elected to Lok Sabha from Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh in the general elections held earlier this year.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had announced in June that Rahul Gandhi will retain Raebareli, a traditional seat of the Gandhi family and vacate his Wayanad seat where the party will field Priyanka Gandhi.

Slamming the Congress party for choosing Priyanka Gandhi as its candidate from Wayanad, Kesavan said, "The voters of Wayanad have had a very bitter experience by the betrayal of Rahul Gandhi. They know that like her brother, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is nothing but an outright opportunist who is unreliable, undependable and untrustworthy. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is a footloose political tourist and the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty condescendingly and arrogantly is trying to use Wayanad as a feudal political playground"

Lashing out at the Congress party's dynasty politics, Kesavan said, "the people of Wayanad very clearly know that the Gandhi dynasty has no genuine care, affection or love for the voters of Wayanad".

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi on Monday arrived in Wayanad for the election campaigns and spoke to the people.

Speaking to the people, Vadra remembered an incident that had occurred with her when she had come to file her nomination and how it made her feel that Wayanad made her feel like she had a mother.

"A few days ago, when I had come to file my nomination for the UDF candidate, I had stopped my car and talked to one of the people who told me that his mother wanted to meet me but wasn't well. I had gone to the house of the person and met his mother. She hugged me as if I was her child, and hugged me like my mother. That is how Wayanad makes me feel like I already have a mother," she said.

"When I came here with my brother after the landslides, I understood how a community came together to help people. I saw each one of you help each other. Even the youngest kids who lost their families had dignity. You are courageous and you honor the teachings of all religions. How can I not be the proudest person to get an opportunity to represent Wayanad," she said.

Congress party approved Priyanka Gandhi's candidature on October 15, after the bypoll schedule was announced by the Election Commission of India.

Wayanad will go to the polls on November 13 along with voting for bye-elections in 47 assembly seats across 15 states. The first phase of assembly polls in Jharkhand will also be held on November 13. (ANI)