Veteran CPI-M leader and party’s former general secretary, Prakash Karat, on Sunday reacted angrily to the Congress party’s choice of Wayanad as the second parliamentary for its president, Rahul Gandhi. Karat said that by deciding to also contest from Kerala’s Wayanad, the Congress had shown its ‘priority’ to ‘fight against the Left in Kerala.’
“It goes against Congress’ national commitment to fight BJP, as in Kerala it’s LDF which is the main force fighting BJP there,” Karat was quoted by news agency ANI. Karat, according to NDTV, also said that the decision also went against the ‘Congress’ national commitment to fight BJP, as in Kerala it’s LDF which is the main force fighting BJP there.’
Kerala Chief Minister Pinrayi Vijayan too expressed his displeasure on Gandhi’s decision to contest from Wayanad. Vowing to defeat the Congress president, Vijayan said that Gandhi should have contested from a constituency where BJP was in the fray.
Elsewhere, BJP President Amit Shah too took a potshot at the Congress’ decision to field Gandhi from Kerala as well as from the latter’s traditional seat in Amethi in Uttar Pradesh. ANI quoted him as saying, ” I read on WhatsApp that Rahul Gandhi has run towards Kerala, leaving Amethi behind. Why has he escaped to Kerala? All of you know that this time Rahul Gandhi is done for in Amethi. So he is going to Kerala in a bid to win on the politics of polarisation.”
Amit Shah in Nagina: I read on WhatsApp that Rahul Gandhi has run towards Kerala, leaving Amethi behind. Why has he escaped to Kerala? All of you know that this time Rahul Gandhi is done for in Amethi. So he is going to Kerala in a bid to win on the politics of polarisation. pic.twitter.com/F0Eyj94s1L
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 31, 2019
Earlier on Sunday, Congress leader AK Antony had announced that Gandhi had consented to contest from two seats. “I am very happy to inform you that he will also contest from Wayanad in Kerala,” he had said.
Antony had said that Wayanad constituency was a ‘tri-junction’ as it shared borders with Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Wayanad will go to polls on 23 April. The seat, a traditional stronghold for the Congress, had fallen vacant after the death of local MP MI Shanavas last year.