Desabhimani, the CPI(M) mouthpiece in Kerala, hit out against the decision of Congress president Rahul Gandhi to contest from Wayanad. "Just like his mother [Sonia Gandhi] and grandmother [Indira Gandhi], Rahul has also decided to go for a dual constituency battle," the editorial, titled 'Pappu strike to complete Congress downfall', claimed. "This decision raises many questions. There is no doubt that the Congress is afraid of a defeat in Amethi. Since 1980, except on one occasion, Amethi has stood by the Congress. In the last election, Congress suffered a decline of over 2 lakh votes. In the 2017 assembly elections, the Congress lost all five assembly constituencies." The article went on to claim that the Congress was eyeing m,inority votes, which are the majority, in Wayanad. "But, the minorities in Kerala won't vote for someone who has already said that Amethi was his karmabhoomi, and that is the seat he will hold if he wins both."
The incident evoked outrage across social media. Desabhimani resident editor P.M. Manoj wrote on Facebook that it was not their politics to insult party leaders. "The 'pappu' usage was improper and we will examine how it happened," he wrote.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi will contest from Wayanad constituency in Kerala in the coming Lok Sabha elections besides fighting from the family bastion of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh. The announcement was made on Sunday by senior Congress leader A.K. Antony, who said the decision was driven by demands that were made by party units in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu that Rahul should contest from there. “Finally, he has given his consent. I am happy to inform you that Congress President Rahul Gandhi will contest from Wayanad parliamentary constituency from Kerala,” Antony said addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters.
He said that over the last few weeks, many Congress leaders and workers from the southern states had requested the party president to contest from a seat in southern India. “This decision satisfies their demand,” he said, pointing out that the choice of Wayanad was based on the fact that it lies in the confluence of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. “It is situated in Kerala, but is also surrounded by Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. In a way, it will satisfy the requests of the three southern states,” Antony said.
