A video of angry locals in landslide-hit Wayanad accosting Rahul Gandhi’s convoy and protesting over the devastating floods has gone viral on the internet.
The video shows a native sprinting to Rahul Gandhi’s car and vehemently protesting against him, repeatedly trying to talk to him even as the Congress leader remains unmoved.
BJP leader Amit Malviya shared the video and slammed Rahul Gandhi, who was the MP from Wayanad for 5 years, and the Congress government for the tragedy that befell the region.
Angry protestors accost Third Time Fail Rahul Gandhi, on his visit to Wayanad, in the aftermath of the devastating landslide, which has claimed more than 300 lives.
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) August 2, 2024
Balak Buddhi Rahul Gandhi has blood on his hand because it was the Congress led UPA government, which buried the… pic.twitter.com/Z6LiXWwiyn
“Balak Buddhi Rahul Gandhi has blood on his hand because it was the Congress-led UPA government, which buried the Western Ghats Ecology Experts Panel report, prepared by Madhav Gadgil, that had especially cautioned against anti-environmental activities in Mepaddi. Then, as a Member of Parliament from Wayanad, he failed them again,” he said.
According to news agency IANS, the locals were demanding Rahul Gandhi to get down from his car and get his feet dirty if he was so concerned about the people.
“Brother, ask him to stop the car! We are the people who voted for him and made him win… He was the MP of this place… If he is so concerned about not getting out of the car and dirtying his legs in the mud, why has he come here? What is there to see here?” IANS quoted the angry man who surrounded Rahul Gandhi’s car as saying.
Kerala: LoP in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, along with Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, visited the villages of Mundakkai and Punchiri Mattam in Wayanad affected by a landslide.
— IANS (@ians_india) August 2, 2024
While there, they were stopped by locals and residents who said, "Brother, ask him to… pic.twitter.com/PHgSmfLwxR
Another video shared by a BJP worker showed locals protesting against Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Wayanad following the landslides.
“We have lost everything. And now, because of his visit, we are hungry for hours. Shops with essential supplies were forcefully closed, trucks with food and water were stopped because of his ‘VIP’ visit,” the BJP worker quoted a local as saying.
Many in Wayanad are seen expressing their anger against their resigned MP Rahul Gandhi. One person can be heard saying, "We worked & voted for him, he became MP. But now we don't need him here."
— Anoop Antony Joseph (@AnoopKaippalli) August 2, 2024
Another person says, "We have lost everything. And now, because of his visit, we… pic.twitter.com/G9YQNIkGxE
The Gandhi scion, who was elected from Wayanad twice, once in 2019 after sensing a defeat from Amethi against BJP leader Smriti Irani and then again in 2024, only to vacate it for his sister, Priyanka Gandhi, has been on a visit to the region following the devastating floods that have so far claimed over 300 lives.
Besides, The Kerala government have been under fire from the BJP, which has blamed their negligence for the calamity that struck Wayanad.
Earlier this week, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in Rajya Sabha that an early warning was given to the Kerala government on July 23 but the government took little preventive measures.
“I want to clarify that on July 23, the Centre gave an early warning to the Kerala government, seven days before the incident, and then on July 24 and 25, we warned them again. On July 26, a warning was given that there was a chance of heavy rainfall of more than 20 cm, and there were chances of landslides,” he said.
Wayanad landslides claim 308 lives
The Wayanad district in Kerala experienced a massive disaster on Tuesday, 30th July as three back-to-back severe landslides washed away four villages- Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha. Around 150 to 200 homes got demolished and washed away and more than 1000s of people got carried away as the landslides hit the district between 2 am to 4 am on Tuesday.
At least 308 people have lost their lives due to the landslides and rescue work is underway to locate families that were swept away in the floods. Rescue operations, now in their fourth day, will be expanded to include the use of a drone-based radar to locate survivors trapped beneath the rubble and in collapsed structures.
