Lakhs of people from here today joined the roadshow ahead of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi filing her nomination papers for the by-election to the Wayanad parliamentary constituency.
Senior Congress and UDF leaders participated in the roadshow and were present during the public rally.
They included Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretary in charge organisation KC Venugopal, Chief Ministers of Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh and several others.
Speaking on the occasion, Congress president Kharge appealed to the people of Wayanad that they must ensure a resounding victory for her with the largest ever margin.
He disclosed that people of Wayanad had asked the Congress to field Priyanka Gandhi from here. He told them that now it was their duty to ensure her resounding victory.
Kharge said, Priyanka Gandhi was a strong, brave, courageous and compassionate leader who will prove to be their strongest voice in the parliament.
Speaking on the occasion, Priyanka Gandhi assured the people that she will be their voice in the parliament and will never let them down.
“You are like my own family and I want you to know that I am here to fight for you, to stand by you, to be your voice, to fight your battles and I will never let you down”, she said amidst thundering cheers and applause from the crowd.
Priyanka Gandhi said that she was touched and impressed by the brave, courageous and selfless spirit of the people of Wayanad when she saw them helping each other with courage and compassion when the devastating landslides hit the area.
Expressing her gratitude to the Congress president Kharge for giving her the chance to be the UDF candidate and serve the people of Wayanad, she also said that she was grateful to her family, which supported her in this mission. “It will be an honour for me to serve the people of Wayanad”, she remarked.
She said, Rahul Gandhi and the family will always be grateful and indebted to the people of Wayanad who stood by him, when almost everyone turned his back on him. She said, “he was feeling sad to leave Wayanad, but I have assured him that I will only strengthen the bond between you and him”.
“This is a new journey for me and you will be by teachers and guides in this”, she told the people, while adding, she was familiar with the local problems and issues like the setting up of a medical college, resolving the issue of ban on night traffic and fighting a way out of the man-animal conflict.
She said she will reach out to people to learn about their issues and problems.
Speaking on the occasion, Rahul Gandhi felt emotional telling the people that it was beyond any words and expression as to how to thank people of Wayanad for what they had done for him.
“If you understand very well the relationship I have shared with the people of Wayanad, no matter how many times I try to say and repeat it, the true expression of the feelings cannot be put in words”, he said.
At the same time, Gandhi assured the people of Wayanad that it will be the only parliamentary constituency in the country, which will be having two members of parliament, one official (Priyanka Gandhi) and another unofficial in him.
Talking about Priyanka, Rahul said, she is a selfless person who can go to any extent to help her friends, family and others. Besides, he added, she was very brave and courageous. He recalled, when their father Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated, Priyanka was only 17 that time. He disclosed that she took care of their mother with great courage. “I am confident that my sister is ready to sacrifice anything for her family and when I say that, I mean Wayanad is our own family”, he said with huge round of applause from the crowds numbering in several lakhs.
Appealing to the people of Wayanad to help and support his sister, he pointed towards the rakhi on his wrist tied by Priyanka. He said it is a symbol of a brother’s protection of his sister. “I appeal to you to help and support my sister”, he appealed to people, with an assuring applause from the crowds.
Priyanka Gandhi, later filed her nomination papers.
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