Home and office open for you: Priyanka Gandhi's first speech in Wayanad as MP

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra portrayed herself as an approachable MP and said the doors of her home and office were open for the people of Wayanad to meet her and share their issues with her.

In Short

• Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visits Wayanad for first time as MP after her victory
• She promises to be an approachable and dedicated parliamentarian
• She acknowledges brother Rahul Gandhi's past contributions to Wayanad

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the newly-elected Congress MP from Wayanad, on Saturday made her first visit to the constituency in Kerala since her maiden electoral victory and said she was deeply grateful to the people for electing her.

Addressing a rally, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra portrayed herself as an approachable MP and said the doors of her home and office were open for the people to meet her and share their issues with her.

"I am here to learn from you. I am here to understand your problems in depth. Of course, I know about the night ban, man-animal conflict, the need for health services and the need for better educational institutions. But I am now here to fight for all of this, to work with you and to understand them properly. I will come to your house, I will meet you. The doors of my home and office are open. I will not disappoint you," she said.

The 52-year-old leader said although the people of Wayanad would miss her brother Rahul Gandhi, who served as an MP from 2019 to June 2024, she stressed she would leave no stone unturned to build a stronger and better future for the people.

"I will work with you to improve your lives and make a stronger future for you. By making me your MP, by showing your love and giving me your support, you are giving me strength and courage," she said.

Rahul Gandhi had won from both Wayanad and Raebareli in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. But, he chose to retain his family bastion of Raebareli and vacated Wayanad, following which Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was fielded from there. She got 6.22 lakh votes, and defeated her nearest CPM rival Sathyan Mokeri by over four lakh votes, a margin higher than what Rahul Gandhi got in the 2024 polls.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra thanked all Congress leaders in Kerala who supported her in her campaign and also expressed her gratitude to Rahul Gandhi for the development work done in the past five years. "It is all because of your faith in him and belief that you put your trust in me," she said.

Talking about the devastating landslides in Wayanad earlier this year, the Congress MP said she and her brother had been speaking to the victims affected by the tragedy for the past months.

RAHUL GANDHI CONGRATULATES SISTER, MENTIONS WAYANAD LANDSLIDES

Rahul Gandhi, who accompanied Priyanka Gandhi Gandhi to Wayanad, urged the party and UDF to pressure the CPM-ruled government in the state to help the Wayanad landslides' victims.

He began his speech by paying tribute to the victims of the landslides and said his party and the UDF were standing with the people who lost family members, property and suffered in the tragedy.

"Unfortunately, we are not in government and therefore, we cannot do what a government can do. So, I told my sister and (Congress general secretary) KC Venugopal that every member of the Congress and the UDF should put pressure on the government of Kerala to help the victims of the landslides," he said.

Rahul Gandhi also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of discriminating against the people of Wayanad, alleging that he was not willing to provide them with the support which they were due.

He also attacked PM Modi claiming that he was treating industrialist Gautam Adani differently from the people of India even though the Constitution says everyone should be treated equally.

"PM Modi says it does not matter if Adani has been indicted in the US and called a criminal there, in India we will not indict him," Rahul Gandhi claimed.

(with inputs from PTI)