Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s first, and possibly the last, campaign in his second constituency (the other is Amethi) lasted just a few hours on Wednesday.
Altogether, he spent around two hours speaking at three places in the Wayanad constituency whose electorate resides in three districts — Wayanad, Kozhikode and Malappuram. This was apart from his visit to the Thirunelly Vishnu Temple and the Bali Tharpanam in the Papanasini streamlet.
Unlike other candidates, Mr. Gandhi could not afford to spend more time in his constituency. And, because of the heavy VVIP security, he could not get personal with the electorate.
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Yet, he could attract huge crowds at Sulthan Bathery, Thiruvamabady and Wandoor, where people showed up to see and hear him under the unbearable sun of the mid-day hours. His Nehru lineage, youthful charms and mild manners helped him to easily connect with the crowds that comprised a huge number of rural women.
Though the campaign time was brief, Mr. Gandhi used it effectively. His ‘emotional’ Bali Tharpanam and the worship at the temple were loaded with political symbolism.
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It aimed to assure the Hindu electorate that he was a pucca Hindu who believed in temple worship, rituals and traditions, and not a ‘fake' Hindu as his rivals propagated.
It also underscored his statements, in indirect reference to Sabarimala during his southern Kerala tour on Tuesday, that the Congress would protect the beliefs and faith of the people.
And, if you missed the symbolic significance, Thirunelly, for the faithful, is Kashi of the South: Kashi (Varanasi) is where Narendra Modi is contesting from. At the Papanasini ritual, he offered his obeisance not only to the souls of his father, grandmother and other ancestors but also to those of the CRPF men slaughtered at Pulwama.
In the campaign meetings he answered, directly or indirectly, most of the barbed criticisms made by the BJP top brass against his contest in Wayanad. He explained why he was contesting in the Wayanad seat: he wanted to highlight India's solidarity and bring South India on a par with the north (and not fleeing Amethi for fear of Hindus as the Prime Minister had alleged.) He said he found the different sections of people of Wayanad living in peace and harmony (and not a Pakistani territory as dubbed by Amit Shah).
Life-long relationship
Mr. Gandhi also repeatedly hinted that he would keep Wayanad if he won it (he said he wanted a life-long relationship with the people of Wayanad).
His critics had said if he won both Amethi and Wayanad, he would dump the latter. He would help Wayanad develop as a sustainable tourism destination.
Mr. Gandhi stuck to his promise made during his April 4 visit to Kalpetta to file his nomination that he would not utter a word against the CPI(M). But, in all his campaign meetings on Wednesday, Mr. Gandhi was unrelenting in his attacks on Prime Minister Modi.