Wayanad, April 15 (UNI) AICC leader and Incumbent MP of Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency has started his two-day election campaign by holding rallies and public meetings from Sulthan Bathery, Mananthavady, Vellamunda, and Pulpally and also visiting the Bishop of Mananthavady diocese during the election campaign on the first day, Monday.
Rahul Gandhi arrived at Nilgiris Arts and Science College grounds by helicopter from Mysore around 1000 hrs and proceeded to Sulthan Bathery by road and held a rally there in the morning. A large number of people thronged on the sides of the road to glimpse him without using any party flags of Congress or its allies, like the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) flags. This is the second visit of Rahul Gandhi at Wayanad after announcing the Lok Sabha elections and filing the nomination papers on April 3 along with his sister Priyanka Gandhi.
The Election Commission (EC) flying squad officials who were waiting at Nilgiris College Ground, Tamil Nadu, border of Wayanad district, checked the helicopter for a few minutes, and later Rahul Gandhi proceeded to Sulthan Bathery by road. He started the election campaign at Thaloor and met the plantation workers and college students of Niligirls College.
While addressing a rally at Sulthan Bathery, Rahul Gandhi said that the battle between RSS and Congress ideologies is going on in the country. Though the nation was freed from British Colonialism, but not come under the ideologies of the RSS-backed BJP. He said Congress is with the common people as a mission India to be ruled by all people of the nation, not like the single leader of the BJP, and added that is the difference with the BJP.
He said the BJP political theme of one nation, one people, and one language is not applicable in the country. He said the ruling BJP is imposing the idea of "one leader in the country" and added that it was an "insult" to the people of the nation. He said, "India is like a bouquet of flowers, and each flower has to be respected as they promote the beauty of the entire bouquet." Rahul Gandhi said a language is not something that is imposed from the top but something that comes from the heart of the people.
Telling Malayalees that Malayalam is inferior to Hindi is tantamount to insulting Malayalees and Malayalam.' Rahul Gandhi said:
Wayanad is my family, and you are members of my family. A brother and sister in a family may have different politics. That doesn't mean they don't have love or respect for each other. Politics starts with respecting other human beings, Rahul Gandhi said.
He also assured that all the issues facing the Wayanad people, like human-animal conflicts, the night traffic ban, the delay in the Nilambur-Nanjangud railway project, and the lack of medical infrastructure facilities in the district, would be resolved.
Rahul Gandhi visits the bishop's house at Mananthavady diocese around 1400 hrs, and he will attend a United Democratic Front (UDF) rally at Kozhikode Beach in the evening.
Tomorrow, he will hold rallies and meetings at Thiruvambadi in Kozhikode district and later at Ernad, Wandoor, and Nilambur assembly constituencies in Malappuram district.
UNI AK AKS