Rahul Gandhi Launches Poll Drive In Wayanad; EC Searches Congress Leader's Chopper In Tamil Nadu

Rahul Gandhi addressed the public gathering in Kerala's Wayanad during a roadshow. PM Modi is also in the state campaigning for the BJP.

New Delhi: With the first phase of the Lok Sabha election just around the corner, Rahul Gandhi, the Congress candidate from Kerala's Wayanad, kicked off the election campaign with a roadshow in his constituency. Rahul is pitted against Kerala BJP President K Surendran and CPI's Annie Raja. While addressing the public gathering, Rahul said, “Today, the main fight is between the ideologies of the RSS and Congress.” Rahul plans to conduct roadshows in Pulpally, Mananthavady, Vellamunda, and Padinjarathara. Coincidentally, PM Modi is also in the state campaigning for the BJP.  

Meanwhile, the Election Commission (EC) searched the helicopter scheduled to transport Rahul Gandhi. The inspection occurred in Tamil Nadu's Nilgiri district as he was preparing to depart for Kerala. Later in the day, Rahul will convene with farmers and party workers in the region.  

VIDEO | Visuals of Election Commission officials carrying out searches in Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's chopper after he reaches Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu.

(Source: Third Party) pic.twitter.com/N86WzFbjcp — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 15, 2024

At the roadshow, the Congress MP said, “I want to explain how I see this fight. Members of the BJP and the Prime Minister advocate for the idea of ‘one nation, one people, one language, and one leader.’ This is a fundamental misunderstanding for our country."

Taking a swipe at the BJP, Gandhi claimed that language is not imposed by authority figures but rather emerges from within the individual, from their heart. He further said, “To suggest to a person from Kerala that their language is inferior to Hindi is an insult to the people of Kerala... This idea that India should have only one leader is an insult to every single young Indian," Gandhi added.  

VIDEO | Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Congress candidate from Kerala's Wayanad Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) holds a roadshow in his constituency. He is fighting against Kerala BJP President K Surendran and CPI's Annie Raja.#LSPolls2024WithPTI #LokSabhaElections2024

(Full video… pic.twitter.com/I3S8urMca5

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 15, 2024

Earlier, Annie Raja launched a scathing attack against Rahul Gandhi regarding his candidature from Wayanad. She expressed that the public is disappointed with their representative, despite electing him with a significant majority. Raja said, “Sometimes they show anger because they are very disappointed with the performance of their representative. So it is for the people to judge.”  

Raja highlighted that there were ample opportunities for the left to address various issues, such as human-animal conflict and railway infrastructure, which are better suited for discussion in Parliament than the Kerala Assembly. She concluded by suggesting that Gandhi has failed to meet the expectations of the people in this regard.