BJP does not follow democratic norms: Priyanka Gandhi

Congress MP arrived on two-day visit to Kerala after maiden electoral win

PTI

Kozhikode(Kerala), Updated At : 04:25 PM Nov 30, 2024 IST

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress General Secretary and MP Priyanka Gandhi during a public meeting at Mukkam in Kozhikode district on Saturday. PTI

Congress MP from Wayanad, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is on a two-day visit to Kerala following her maiden electoral victory, on Saturday criticized the BJP for disregarding democratic norms, even in political contests.

Speaking at a joint public meeting with her brother, Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, at Mukkam, Priyanka compared the BJP's behavior to the landslides that devastated Wayanad in July. She said, just like the natural disaster, the BJP’s conduct follows no rules, provides no explanations and ignores the democratic principles typically observed in political battles.

"The political challenges we face today from the BJP are like the landslides. There are no rules, no explanations," Priyanka said. "The behaviour of the ruling party at the Centre, the BJP, knows no democratic norms — not even those we usually adhere to in a political fight."

She also expressed concern over the erosion of institutions, which, she said, has led to a loss of public trust in the electoral process and the institutions that bind the country together.

Priyanka assured the people of Wayanad she would be their voice in Parliament. "It is your voice that I will raise, your problems I will try to resolve and your beliefs, values and aspirations that I will stand for every day, until the end," she declared.

Following the joint meeting at Mukkam in the Thiruvambadi assembly constituency, Priyanka is scheduled to attend receptions at Karulai in Nilambur, Wandoor and Edavanna in the Eranad constituency.

The Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency includes seven assembly segments — Mananthavady (ST), Sulthan Bathery (ST) and Kalpetta in Wayanad district; Thiruvambady in Kozhikode district; and Eranad, Nilambur, and Wandoor in Malappuram district.

Priyanka won her maiden electoral victory in the Wayanad by-election with a massive margin of 4,10,931 votes, surpassing the lead secured by her brother Rahul Gandhi in the 2024 General Elections, when he too contested from the same constituency.