THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala has called upon the LDF to pull out of the race in Wayanad if indeed Congress supremo Rahul Gandhi makes up his mind to contest from there. A final decision on Rahul’s candidature will be taken by the Congress Election Commitee which is scheduled to convene on Monday, Chennithala told reporters here on Sunday.
According to him, if the LDF candidate remains in fray in the Wayanad seat even after Rahul agrees to contest from the seat, the CPM-led alliance will be sending out the wrong message at the national-level. Chennithala said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has always been opposed to the Congress and whenever the CPM Central Committee (CC) contemplated political adjustment with the Congress, it is the CPM Kerala and Pinarayi in particular who came out against it. Further, he said CPM general secretary was isolated in the CC on the Congress tie-up and Kerala leaders were responsible for that.
Chennithala said the CPM and the Left bloc have been rattled by news of Rahul contesting from Wayanad and said the UDF will sweep the polls winning all 20 LS seats . He said the morale of Congress workers is high and they are awaiting the AICC announcement on Rahul’s candidature.
On whether Rahul feared defeat in Amethi at the hands of the BJP candidate, Chennithala said, “Congress’ national leaders had in the past contested from South Indian states - Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi from Chikkamagaluru (Chikmagalur) and Ballari (Bellary), respectively being two major instances of this. Rahul is indeed contesting from Amethi also and not running away from there.
“It will be a historic blunder - akin to the CPM’s failure to make the-then West Bengal Chief Minister and Marxist patriarch, the late, Jyoti Basu the Prime Minister in 1996 - if the party chooses not to back Rahul in Wayanad, he said, adding, Rahul contesting the polls from Wayanad will be a dream come true for Malayalees and it will pave the way for a landslide victory for the Congress and the UDF in South India and Kerala.
BJP, BDJS to discuss seat if Rahul contests
T’Puram: BJP and BDJS will discuss the NDA candidate for Wayanad following the new political development of Rahul Gandhi contesting from the seat.BJP state president P S Sreedharan Pillai while speaking to Express said: “The BJP will conduct discussions with the BDJS on the seat in case Rahul Gandhi is contesting from the seat. As far as our party is concerned it is for the party central leadership to confirm the seat and the national president will take a call on the same. We have to first arrive at a consensus with the BDJS on the same and then will decide whether the BJP or the BDJS will contest that seat.”