"Congress needs to think": CPI(M)'s Brinda Karat challenges Rahul Gandhi's claim on Wayanad seat

New Delhi: After the Communist Party of India (CPI) announced senior party leader Annie Raja as a candidate for Wayanad, CPI (M) leader Brinda Karat said that the incumbent MP from Waynad Rahul Gandhi and the Congress should think about the Waynad seat.
"CPI has declared its candidate for the seat in Wayanad, Comrade Annie Raja, who has played a key role in 'Mahila Andholan'. Now she will be the candidate from the side of the whole LDF. Rahul Gandhi and the Congress need to think, they say that their fight is against BJP. In Kerala, if you come and fight against Left, what message are you giving? So they need to think about their seat once again," said CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat.
Earlier, Annie Raja said that in Kerala, the fight is between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF), adding that the situation is the same and nothing has changed.
The Communist Party of India (CPI) on Monday announced candidates for four Kerala Lok Sabha seats, nominating senior party leader Annie Raja to contest from the Wayanad constituency, a seat presently held by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
"For such a long time, CPI - under the LDF alliance - is contesting on the four seats...This time also, the party has announced its candidates for all these four constituencies. In Kerala, the fight is between LDF and UDF. So, there is nothing new in that...The situation is the same, nothing has changed," Raja told ANI on Monday.
"Earlier in 2019, the CPI contested against Rahul Gandhi. We have been contesting elections from there for a very long time," she added.
Rajya Sabha MP and CPI (M) Secretary Binoy Viswam questioned the political logic of Rahul Gandhi contesting from Kerala.
"North India is considered the hotbed of India from where the maximum number of MPs have come to the Parliament, where BJP is a powerful force to fight. Forgetting that reality, what is the political logic for the Congress to come to southmost India, to Kerala, where there are just 20 seats? It is known to everybody that no one from the BJP will be able to win from Kerala. From where should he fight exactly? The essence of the earlier battle of 2019 is there when Rahul Gandhi did the same thing when he came to Wayanad from Amethi. BJP started a campaign which got the cash. They said Rahul Gandhi was afraid of the BJP that's why he ran to Kerala. This campaign resulted in the defeat of Congress in the entire North India..."
Meanwhile, Pannian Raveendran had been nominated from Thiruvananthapuram, VS Sunil Kumar from Thrissur, and Arun Kumar from Mavelikara.
The Communist Party of India (CPI) is part of the INDIA bloc, which came into existence to take on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which is led by PM Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and prevent it from winning a third straight term at the Centre in the Lok Sabha elections. Kerala has a total of 20 Lok Sabha seats.