Wayanad by-election: The BJP's blame game against Congress cutting little ice

BJP candidate Navya Haridas has told interviewers that Congress candidate Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will lose the upcoming parliamentary by-election in Kerala's Wayanad because the Gandhis let down its people. More specifically, former Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi betrayed the people by not retaining the seat, while the Gandhis in particular did not do enough for the victims of the massive landslide that led to 400 people losing their lives in July, she said.

While the BJP’s IT cell went after Priyanka’s affidavit declaring her assets and liabilities, Haridas, a two-term councillor in the Kozhikode municipal corporation, claimed she had more electoral experience than Priyanka.

Unfortunately for the BJP, neither have cut much ice. That is because the Union government has not released any special relief assistance to the victims of Wayanad despite a unanimous resolution by the Kerala Assembly and two separate observations by the Kerala High Court asking the Centre to look into the demands made by the state government.

In contrast, Lok Sabha leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi not only donated a month’s salary and led a fund-raising effort, but the Congress and the Karnataka government undertook to build 100 houses to rehabilitate victims of the landslide.

On 4 October, the Kerala High Court asked the Union government to respond to a statement that no amount has been released from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) and the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the victims of the landslides which battered Wayanad on 30 July 2024. 

Ranjith Thampan, an amicus curiae appointed by the high court, had stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a team of Central officials had visited the disaster-struck Wayanad areas. However, 78 days since the disaster, the Union government had not provided any relief despite the memorandum submitted by the state government.

On 10 October, the high court again directed the Union government to take positive action on providing funds from the NDRF and the PMNRF for Wayanad. The court even asked additional solicitor-general A.R.L. Sundaresan to use his good offices to get a positive response from the Centre on the issue, including a bank loan waiver.

“We need to get Wayanad back on the rails as soon as possible,” the court observed. The Union government claimed it had already released the state’s share of relief funds, and further assistance would be provided after an evaluation by an inter-ministerial team.

In sharp contrast, the Union government rushed to the aid of Andhra Pradesh ruled by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), an ally of the BJP at the Centre, and Tripura, where a BJP government is in power. In the case of Andhra Pradesh, where 34 people died in floods caused by heavy rains, Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan visited the area and announced aid worth Rs 3,448 crore at the airport itself, without waiting for the state government to submit a memorandum.

The landslides tragedy is likely to be one of the electoral issues in the Lok Sabha by-election scheduled for 13 November, necessitated by Rahul Gandhi relinquishing the Wayanad seat in favour of Rae Bareli, from where too he won a seat in the Lok Sabha.

In 2019, the Left Front had put up the CPI’s P.P. Suneer against Rahul Gandhi when the CPI candidate polled 25.1 per cent of the votes. Earlier this year, the LF fielded Annie Raja, the CPI’s national executive member and general-secretary of National Federation of Women, and the BJP its state president K. Surendran. While the CPI’s vote share increased by 0.8 per cent, Rahul Gandhi’s vote share fell from 64.94 per cent in 2019 to 59.69 per cent, with the BJP adding 5.75 per cent to its vote share.

For the by-election next month against Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the LF has put up local CPI leader Sathyan Mokeri, who secured 38.92 per cent of the votes in 2014 against the 41.21 per cent obtained by late Congress leader M.I. Shanavas.