Congress, UDF should pressure Kerala govt to help Wayanad landslides victims: Rahul

Kozhikode: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who accompanied his sister and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi to Kerala after her maiden electoral victory, on Saturday urged the party and UDF to pressure the state government to help the Wayanad landslides victims.

Rahul, at a joint public meeting along with his sister at Mukkam here, began his speech by paying tribute to the victims of the landslides and said his party and the UDF are standing with the people who lost family members, property and suffered in the tragedy.

"Unfortunately, we are not in government and therefore, we cannot do what a government can do. So, I told my sister and (AICC general secretary) K C Venugopal that every member of the Congress and the UDF should put pressure on the government of Kerala to help the victims of the landslides," he said.

Rahul also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of discriminating against the people of Wayanad, alleging that he was not willing to provide them the support which they were due.

The LoP in the Lok Sabha also attacked PM Modi claiming that he was treating industrialist Gautam Adani differently from the people of India even though the Constitution says everyone should be treated equally.

"PM Modi says it does not matter if Adani has been indicted in the US and called a criminal there, in India we will not indict him," Rahul claimed.

Earlier, after arriving at Karipur airport here, Priyanka said, "I am happy to be back here and I am ready to start working and do whatever I can to help the people of Wayanad have a better future." After the joint public meeting at Mukkam in Thiruvambadi assembly constituency here, receptions will be held for her at Karulai in Nilambur, Wandoor, and Edavanna in Eranad, the party said.

The Wayanad constituency comprises seven assembly segments of Mananthavady (ST), Sulthan Bathery (ST), and Kalpetta in Wayanad district; Thiruvambady in Kozhikode district; and Eranad, Nilambur, and Wandoor in Malappuram district.

Priyanka had scored her maiden electoral victory by winning the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll with a huge margin of 4,10,931 votes, which is bigger than the lead her brother Rahul secured when he won from the constituency during the Lok Sabha general elections held early this year.