Wayanad: Rahul Gandhi, leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and former Wayanad Lok Sabha MP, said on Wednesday that “from now on, there will be two MPs from Wayanad.”
“While Priyanka Gandhi will be the official MP, I will be the unofficial MP,” said Rahul Gandhi to a thunderous applause from the mammoth crowd that had come to hear Priyanka Gandhi.
The Congress leader later filed her nomination for the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, which goes to the polls on November 13.
After retaining the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in the April 26 General Elections, Rahul Gandhi later decided to vacate the seat in favour of Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh.
Rahul Gandhi arrived in his former constituency on Wednesday morning to join his sister, Priyanka Gandhi, in a massive roadshow. They were taken to her first election rally just before she filed three sets of nominations for the bye-election at Wayanad.
Incidentally, their mother, former Congress President Sonia Gandhi, was also present when her two children addressed the election rally.
After Priyanka Gandhi delivered her speech, Rahul Gandhi said, “I think all of you understand very well the relation I have with Wayanad. I was thinking to myself that what Wayanad did for me cannot be expressed in words.”
He continued, “Wayanad is the only constituency in the country which will have two Lok Sabha members; one is official, the other is unofficial. They will both work together for the people of Wayanad.”
Speaking about his sister, Rahul Gandhi said, “When we were small, I used to watch Priyanka with her friends. She always used to help them a lot. I used to tell her, ‘you cannot go so far to look after your friends.’
“If she had a friend, she was willing to do anything for them and sometimes her friends did not appreciate what she did. I used to tell her about it. She used to say, ‘It doesn’t matter if they do not appreciate’, and she did what she felt was right. So if such a person can do so much for friends, you should know what she will do for her family. When my father died, it was she who looked after our mother. She was 17 years old at that time,” added Rahul Gandhi.
“I am confident that my sister is ready to sacrifice for her family. I also need a favour for me and I request you to look after my sister. She will put her energy for the people of Wayanad and your problems,” added Rahul Gandhi and this was followed by a thunderous applause.
After she had filed three sets of nominations, the duo then visited the public cemetery where the remains of several unidentified people killed in the landslides on July 30 were interred.
–IANS
