Rahul’s candidacy upsets opponents

Ashraf Padanna

The ruling Communists and Congress-led opposition continued to attack each other over Rahul Gandhi standing from Kerala for the parliamentary elections on Friday.

The Congress party president filed his nomination from Wayanad constituency on Thursday, turning the streets of the district capital into a sea of humanity.

He will also be filing his nomination from his family pocket borough of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh that elected him for the last three terms.

It also sparked outrage among leaders of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPM though he had said he would not say a word against him.

The LDF has also allegedly fielded a namesake, MK Rahul Gandhi, a PhD student at the University of Kerala here, to create confusion among voters besides its own candidate, PP Suneer, of the Communist Party of India (CPI).

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said his party was opposing both the Congress and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as both were pursuing the same economic agenda.

“What programme does the Congress have to oppose the BJP’s communal agenda and protect secular values,” he asked during an election rally in Pathanamthitta.

“There’s no point in removing the BJP from power and bringing another one who implements the same programmes. We need an alternative government.” He accused Rahul Gandhi of pursuing the same policy of weakening secular forces in other states as well.

“Pinarayi Vijayan has lost his cool after Rahul Gandhi decided to come here,” said Ramesh Chennithala, the opposition leader in the state assembly.

“The same guys were sabotaging the opposition unity against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. People will also deliver their verdict on Vijayan’s performance during the last three years.” Senior Congress leader Oommen Chandy said the CPM leaders should show the same decency towards Gandhi as he did by not attacking them.

“Gandhi’s response to CPM’s indecent attack shows his quality,” he said at a meet-the-press programme here.

“People love leaders who show tolerance towards criticism and focus on development activities. We all wish and would request him to retain Wayanad (if he wins both).”