NEW DELHI: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on Sunday that she’s doing her best to put pressure on the centre and write to Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and regarding rehabilitation for Wayanad landslide victims. She made this declaration during a meeting in Kalpetta, urging both the Prime Minister and Chief Minister to provide rehabilitation, setting aside political differences.
“I will be writing to the Chief Minister of Kerala and trying to put as much as pressure possible on the Centre as well to provide the rehabilitation that they deserved,” she said.
Priyanka Gandhi further urged both the Prime Minister and Kerala chief minister to prioritize rehabilitation efforts over politics, calling the landslide a “deep and devastating human tragedy.”
Further addressing concerns about tourism safety after the July 30 disaster, Priyanka said, “We must make a special effort now to invite more tourists to show them that it is safe, it is beautiful and this is the best place to come.”
She made these remarks during her two-day visit to the hill constituency following her election, whilst also criticising the BJP-led Centre. She also addressed concerns about tourism, noting that whilst the landslide affected a small area, the rest of Wayanad remains safe and welcoming for visitors. She encouraged efforts to attract tourists and showcase the region’s beauty.
Also, speaking about the destruction caused by landslides, Priyanka recalled her meeting with a young Mohammed Hani, who is just 17 or 18 years old before the campaign, when she came here to visit the landslide hit areas.
“I met a young boy called Muhammad Hani, who lost every single member of his family except his grandmother. For six hours, during the landslide with flooding waters he had held his mother on his hand trying to save her. However, he had seen her being drowned. When I came back for the election campaign and I was sending him a message, asking him what was his hobbies because I thought after the election I will send him something. This young boy who had lost everything just four months ago, send me a message back saying, my hobby is helping those who was suffering. He is brave but he has a heart of gold and he is compassionate” she said.
“I want each one of you to know that you are my responsibility. That I take your love with complete seriousness and it is my duty to fight for you to give you a better future in the next five years and ahead,” she added.
Also speaking about central aid for Wayanad, Priyanka in earlier speech at Sultan Bathery said, “Four months ago, when I came here with my brother, I met the victims of the landslides and witnessed what they were going through. Four months later, the responsibility to work for the rehabilitation of the victims feels even greater. It’s disheartening to see politics being played in such a situation. She further accused the central government of not supporting Congress-ruled states “such as Himachal Pradesh”. “Similarly, here too, the central and state governments are dragging their feet and neglecting what needs to be done,” she said.
During her two-day tour of Wayanad alongside Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka attended several public meetings. These gatherings took place at various locations including Mukkam in Thiruvambadi, Kaulai in Nikambur, Wandoor and Edavanna, spanning across Kozhikode and Malappuram districts within the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency.
In the Wayanad Lok Sabha by-election, Priyanka achieved her maiden electoral success with a substantial margin of 4,10,931 votes. This victory margin exceeded the lead previously established by her brother Rahul when he had won this constituency in this year’s general elections.