A United Democratic Front (UDF) government alone can bring comprehensive development to Wayanad, Rahul Gandhi, MP, has said.
Addressing a public meeting at Mananthavady after attending a roadshow for UDF’s Mananthavady candidate P.K. Jayalakshmi on Thursday, the Congress leader said that though the people in the district were facing various problems such as man-animal conflict, issues related to eco-sensitive zones around sanctuaries and fall in prices of farm produce, the State government had failed to address them.
If the UDF government came to power, the major issues would be properly addressed, he added.
On the setting up of a medical college in the district Mr. Gandhi said, “We had requested the Chief Minister to set up a Government Medical College in the district, but the government just changed the board of the district hospital to medical college.” Though Wayanad was the land spices, the government had failed to execute any project to market it and lend a hand to the farmers, he added.
While addressing the public in Sulthan Bathery, Mr. Gandhi said his aim was the all-round development of the district by strengthening small-cale farmers. Mr. Gandhi said if the UDF was voted to power, it would execute the Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY) , a proposed minimum income guarantee scheme of the Congress party in the State.
Later, addressing an election rally after taking out a roadshow at Kooderanji in Kozhikode, Mr. Gandhi said the LDF government’s decision to classify agricultural land in the buffer zone had left the settlers in hill regions an anxious lot. He said a special package would be implemented if the UDF came to power. Mr. Gandhi said Kerala was witnessing two elections — the Assembly polls to determine the future course of the State and the other to decide the future of the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency.
He said the fight of the Congress was against the fascist forces led by the RSS and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The politics of violence in the State should also be defeated, said Mr. Gandhi.
