Kozhikode: Leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, said that it was the love and affection given to him by the people of Wayanad that changed the way he looked at politics.
Speaking at the road shows at Sulthan Bathery and Thiruvambadi while campaigning for his sister and UDF candidate Priyanka Gandhi on the final day of campaigning on Monday, Rahul, who had represented the constituency for five years, said that he started using the word ‘love’ in politics after coming to Wayanad.
“Every politician will have certain times in their lives when their perception changes. When I first went for Bharat Jodo Yatra, I was surprised because it was a political walk. The focus of the walk was political, to give a message that everybody should stand together, everybody should be united, everybody should respect each other… Then I realized while I was on the plane today that for many years, I did not use the word love in politics. After coming to Wayanad suddenly, I started using the word love in politics and realized that it was because the people of Wayanad gave me so much love and affection that my entire politics changed,” Rahul said.
He added that he realized that the only weapon to counter hatred and anger is love and affection.
“It was the people of Wayanad who taught me that the word (love) has so much importance in politics. That is why I am wearing this t-shirt,” Rahul said displaying the t-shirt which had ‘I love Wayanad’ message written in its back.
Later, speaking at Thiruvambadi, Rahul said that while politicians have a transactional relationship with people, it was not the case in Wayanad. Rahul also threw up a challenge to Priyanka to make Wayanad the best tourism destination in the next five years.
“Wayanad owns a huge place in my heart that is beyond politics. I’m there to help everyone here at any time. If I can show its beauty to the rest of the world, then I’ll happily do it. I would also like to challenge my sister to make Wayanad known as the best tourist destination. When people think of Kerala, the first destination should be Wayanad. This will benefit the people of Wayanad but will also show the rest of the world what Wayanad is,” he added.
Courtesy : TOI
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