WAYANAD: A wave of jubilation swept across the Wayanad constituency as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s reinstatement as Member of Parliament followed a legal battle that culminated in the Supreme Court’s decision to stay his conviction in a criminal defamation case.
Congress activists took to the streets, organizing ‘victory’ rallies, distributing sweets, and expressing their exuberance at their leader’s return. According to sources, Rahul Gandhi is expected to visit the constituency later this month. The state Congress leadership has announced plans for a grand welcoming event upon his arrival, along with his public address.
“Upon the Supreme Court’s intervention, we eagerly await our beloved leader’s return to the constituency. We anticipate Congress activists from all districts converging in Kalpetta to warmly welcome him,” said Abraham, a local Congress activist from Kalpetta.
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Party leaders hailed Gandhi’s reinstatement as a monumental triumph for the Congress and a historic moment in the nation’s judicial history.
“This victory resonates deeply for the party, the constituency, and the people of Wayanad, who ardently desired Rahul Gandhi to represent them as their MP and continue driving development initiatives. The apex court’s ruling dealt a huge blow to the BJP and the Sangh Parivar, who propagated falsehoods about our leader. Rahul Ji’s reinstatement will further fortify the party’s standing within the state and across the nation,” asserted T Siddique, a senior Congress leader from North Kerala.
Congress workers in Ernakulam distributed sweets to celebrate the reinstatement of Rahul Gandhi as Wayanad MP
Amidst the celebrations, varying opinions emerged from farmer groups and environmental activists concerning support prices for rubber, ginger, and cardamom crops.
“Despite continuous efforts by farmers to secure better base prices for cardamom and rubber, both the state and Central governments have remained unresponsive. While we’ve approached the MP multiple times, no resolution has been forthcoming,” lamented K Raveendran, a farmer based in Vythiri, near Mananthavady.
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Another critical concern for the hilly district is the decline in tourist footfall, a trend exacerbated by the ongoing Covid pandemic. Despite efforts by the tourism department, challenges such as human-animal conflicts and fluctuations in the prices of commercial crops have hampered both the plantation and tourism industries.
With the Gandhi scion’s return to his hometown constituency less than eight months before the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress is poised to strengthen its position across northern Kerala.
“If Rahul Ji decides to contest from Wayanad once again, it will undoubtedly have a positive ripple effect for the party across the entire state, ushering in a discernible transformation,” opined Karimbil Kunhi Narayanan, a senior Congress leader from Nileswaram, Kasaragod district.
In the 2019 elections, he secured an impressive victory in Wayanad, clinching the seat with a resounding majority of 4,31,770 votes and capturing a staggering 65 percent of the total votes polled