Both candidates filed their nomination papers on Wednesday. The CPI General Secretary pointed out that the people of Wayanad cannot be taken for granted and have raised questions about Rahul Gandhi’s candidature from the constituency...reports Asian Lite News
Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary D Raja questioned why the Congress has chosen to field Rahul Gandhi from Wayanad against the Left instead of pitting him directly against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“Rahul Gandhi held two yatras: the Bharat Jodo Yatra and the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. During these two yatras, his focus was to attack and criticize the politics of the BJP and the RSS. When it comes to the electoral battle, Rahul Gandhi has not chosen to fight the BJP right away. He has chosen to fight the Left. This is what people are questioning. What message does Congress want to send out?” Raja said, speaking to ANI on Wednesday. Raja’s wife, Annie Raja, is contesting against Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad.
Both candidates filed their nomination papers on Wednesday. The CPI General Secretary pointed out that the people of Wayanad cannot be taken for granted and have raised questions about Rahul Gandhi’s candidature from the constituency. “People of Kerala cannot be taken for granted. There are certain questions raised in the public domain about why Rahul Gandhi has chosen to contest from Wayanad or why the Congress party has decided to field him against the Left in Wayanad,” Raja said. The senior CPI leader said that fielding Rahul Gandhi from Wayanad is a shortsighted decision of the Congress party. “This is a shortsighted decision of the Congress party.
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The Congress party should think from a larger perspective of the country’s future. This is what I said last time (2019 Lok Sabha elections) as well,” Raja added. “Even if Congress wants him to contest from the south, there are many places. They could have chosen him to contest in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. Why Wayanad?” he pointed out. Raja questioned why a Congress leader of stature like Rahul Gandhi should contest in Kerala, which has 20 seats, and the main battle is between the Left and the Congress-led UDF. “This is because everyone knows that Kerala has 20 seats and the main battle is between the LDF and the UDF. Why should Rahul Gandhi, a leader of his stature, be fielded from Wayanad? This is what people are asking,” he said. While the CPI and the Congress are partners in the opposition INDIA bloc, the two parties are fierce contenders in Kerala, with both parties pitting their strongest candidates against each other. Rahul Gandhi bagged 706,367 votes from Wayanad with a 64.7 percent vote share in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
CPI candidate PP Suneer, who came second, got 274,597 votes, securing a 25.1 per cent vote share. The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) won 19 out of 20 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. While the Congress won 15 seats, its allies, the Indian Union Muslim League, won two seats, the Revolutionary Socialist Party won one, and the Kerala Congress (M) won one seat. (ANI)
Probe agencies being misused, says Pinarayi
In response to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday that investigative agencies are being misused across the country.
“Investigative agencies are being misused across the country. Arvind Kejriwal’s recent court statement revealed a clear political conspiracy, with no substantial evidence against him. Kejriwal pointed out that the witness against him was coerced, alleging financial ties between the witness’s father and the BJP through electoral bonds,” Vijayan said during a public meeting at Kothamangalam in Kerala’s Idukki.
Alleging that an accused in the Delhi liquor policy case had been made a witness to incriminate Kejriwal, Vijayan said, “Despite the lack of evidence, Kejriwal was arrested solely based on this witness’s testimony. This misuse of power was evident in the case, turning an accused into a pardon witness to incriminate Kejriwal.”
The Kerala Chief Minister said that the recently held INDIA bloc rally in Delhi helped the Congress learn as the party had chosen to stand with the investigation agencies when cases were filed against other parties.
“The recent rally in Delhi served as a warning to the central government, with Congress observing and learning from the experience. Central investigation agencies are filing cases against the Opposition. Congress is also a victim of this,” Vijayan said.
“But the Congress took a different stand. Congress will oppose if investigative agencies take cases against their own leaders. But Congress standing with the investigation agencies if cases are filed against the leaders of other parties. The arrest of Kejriwal is the biggest example of this,” the Kerala Chief Minister added.
Hitting out at the Bharatiya Janata Party over the implementation of Uniform Civil Code, Vijayan said, “The implementation of the RSS agenda in the country is a matter of concern. The proposed Uniform Civil Code will impact not just Muslims but all communities across the nation. It reflects an intention to homogenise the diverse fabric of our country, which poses significant risks. This election is being regarded with utmost seriousness due to such implications.” (ANI)
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