Now, after the fanfare is over, comes the real part of her political journey and the situations that she will have to handle as a MP from the hilly district. ..reports Asian Lite News
With Priyanka Gandhi on Thursday sworn in as Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad, curtains have come down on the easy part in her new political journey. It was a foregone conclusion that the Congress scion would win hands down and Priyanka Gandhi did it in style by winning with a margin of over four lakh votes.
At 11 A.M. on Thursday, Priyanka Gandhi who was dressed in a typical Kerala saree, was welcomed to the Parliament with flowers by the Congress-led UDF MPs and was the first to take oath.
Incidentally, she is the only woman MP from Kerala in the Lok Sabha and the UDF has now 18 MPs in the House, with the BJP and the CPI-M having one each.
When Priyanka Gandhi’s name was called out, it was greeted with a resounding applause and after she took oath she walked down and was seen greeting her elder brother Rahul Gandhi who is the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Now, after the fanfare is over, comes the real part of her political journey and the situations that she will have to handle as a MP from the hilly district.
Wayanad is facing numerous problems, such as lack of proper healthcare facilities, the raging man-animal conflict and not to mention the night traffic from Wayanad to neighbouring Karnataka and numerous other issues.
Incidentally, the biggest campaign point that the ruling Left and the BJP raised during their campaign starting from 2019 when Rahul Gandhi first stood as the Congress candidate and then again in 2024, was that Wayanad needs a full time representative in Parliament and not a tourist MP.
However, all such campaigns on expected lines failed to evoke any response from the electorate as senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi first won with a margin of 4.30 lakh votes that dipped to 3.60 lakh in April 2024 and then Priyanka Gandhi tasted electoral victory with a margin of 4.10 lakh votes.
The first task that MP Priyanka Gandhi has on her shoulders is availing the yet-to-be announced Wayanad package from the Centre.
No relief package has been announced as yet for Wayanad even after three months having passed following the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an on-the-spot assessment of the landslide disaster that washed away four villages in July and left over 400 dead and scores missing.
Meanwhile, there was a modest celebration in her constituency when she was sworn in as MP and Priyanka Gandhi will now be given a rousing welcome when she arrives in Wayanad for the first time after winning the polls.
Posts featuring Rahul, Kharge win hearts on social media
As Priyanka Gandhi took oath in Parliament on Thursday the Wayanad MP’s debut in the corridors of power left the social media flooded with congratulatory messages from party colleagues and supporters.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge led his party in hailing Priyanka Gandhi’s entry into Parliament. In a message written in Hindi on X, Kharge said, “I am confident that Smt Priyanka Gandhi would become a powerful voice of people, especially women, in Parliament.”
“Her leadership, compassion, courage, decency and resolve along with her commitment towards the principles of the Constitution would ensure the welfare of countrymen,” he said.
Kharge’s post on X was accompanied with photos of the Congress President blessing Priyanka Gandhi by placing his hand on her head.
Social media followers also liked a short video on X in which Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi asks his sister, Priyanka Gandhi, to stop on Parliament stairs so that he can capture the memorable moment in his phone’s camera.
Many Congress leaders present at the spot could be seen cheering him and enjoying the moment as Rahul Gandhi is heard saying, “Stop, stop, stop…Let me take a picture.” Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate uploaded a photo on X featuring all the three Gandhi family MPs, captioned, “Of The People, By The People, For the People.”
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said in a post on X, “A pleasure to witness first-hand the swearing-in of @incIndia’s newest MP from Kerala, Smt @priyankagandhi. Wishing her great success in representing the people of Wayanad, Kerala and India!” Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera expressed deep emotion and pride as Priyanka Gandhi took oath in Parliament.
In a statement on social media platform X, Khera described the occasion as a moment of immense pride and inspiration for the nation. “Since childhood, we have all seen on television the members of the Gandhi family displaying amazing dignity during the tragic assassinations of Indira Ji and Rajiv Ji. The entire country would break into tears, but the Gandhi family, a symbol of unique tradition of sacrificing everything for the country, always considered the country bigger than their personal grief,” Khera recalled.
“When Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took oath as a Member of Parliament for the first time today, with a copy of the Constitution in her hand, all those scenes came back in front of my eyes. Today’s moment is an emotional moment of pride and inspiration not only for the Congress family but for the entire country,” he further said.
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