Priyanka Gandhi responds to Pinarayi Vijayan’s Jamaat remark: Shouldn’t distract

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday doubled down on Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who had said that the Congress leader was contesting the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll with the backing of Jamaat-e-Islami, asserting that the elections should be fought on real issues and one should not distract people.
“Political leaders should talk about real issues like development. What have they done for Wayanad? They should talk about that. Elections should be fought on the issues that affect the people, like price rises, development, unemployment. We should not distract people,” Priyanka Gandhi said while speaking to reporters.
Priyanka Gandhi’s rebuttal came days after Vijayan, in his Facebook post, claimed that that by-election in Wayanad has “exposed the Congress party’s secular mask completely”.
“Priyanka Gandhi is running as a candidate there with the backing of Jamaat-e-Islami. So, what exactly is Congress’s stance? Our country is not unfamiliar with Jamaat-e-Islami. Does that organisation’s ideology align with democratic values?,” he asked.
Targeting the Congress, Vijayan asked, “Shouldn’t those who stand for secularism oppose all forms of sectarianism?”
“Can the Congress do that? The Congress and allies, including the Muslim League, seem to be making certain ‘sacrifices’ to maintain their alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami. Can the Congress reject Jamaat-e-Islami’s votes?,” he asked.
The Wayanad Lok Sabha seat fell vacant after Rahul Gandhi decided to retain the Rae Bareli seat after having won both during the Lok Sabha polls. Priyanka Gandhi, who was fielded by the party from Wayanad, had earlier visited the homes of locals and interacted with them.
Earlier in the day, Priyanka Gandhi conducted a roadshow in the constituency and said that she met people from the Christian community. She assured that she would fight for their demands like she does for everyone else.
“People have given me a lot of love and affection. I’m very grateful for it. I’ve been very happy campaigning here. I have been meeting many people from the Christian community. I will fight for their demands. Just as I am fighting for everybody else. I will discuss with them, understand properly, and I will also support them,” Priyanka Gandhi said.
Wayanad, a Congress stronghold, will witness a three-horse race as Priyanka Gandhi will contest against BJP’s Navya Haridas and Sathyen Mokeri of the Left alliance. The by-election for the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency is scheduled for November 13.