Taking away posts won’t stop me from representing people of Wayanad: Rahul Gandhi

Rahul and his sister Priyanka participated in a roadshow called ‘Satyameva Jayate’ in Kalpetta (Twitter/@INCIndia)

Priyanka in her speech urged the gathering to become “checks and balances” when institutions in the country are failing.

Rahul said the government was “uncomfortable with my questions and the issues I had raised”. “This (disqualification) is the biggest gift they could have given me. When the BJP is taking away my house, disqualifying me as an MP and attacking me… I realise that I am right,’’ he said.

Rahul said he will continue to fight for the demands of the people of Wayanad. “People of Wayanad and elsewhere in the country want to live free. None wants to live in a country where four or five people own everything. I have been fighting the BJP for quite some years… they don’t understand that their opponent cannot be daunted. They thought that I could be scared by sending the police to my house. It is not interesting to live in that house. I have seen people of Wayanad being deprived of their houses during the floods. I have learnt from you… take away my house. I will continue to raise the issues of the people of Wayanad and India,’’ he said.

He said the BJP divides people and makes them fight. “You [BJP] threaten people, you abuse as much as you want, but I will keep respecting every single community and every single idea. You stay nasty, but I will continue to be kind towards you… because it is the fight between two perspectives. You (BJP) represent one vision of India; we represent another vision of India. We cannot be scared about your intimidation,’’ he said.

He said even if the BJP puts him in jail, his relation with Wayanad will remain the same forever. “I went to Parliament and asked the PM to explain his relation with Adani. I kept asking that single question… I asked, how come Adani, who once was at 609th in the list of wealthiest persons in the world, became number two. I gave examples of how the PM himself facilitated his growth. The PM did not answer my question. I saw for the first time the government itself disrupting the proceedings in Parliament,’’ he said.

In her speech, Priyanka said the BJP and the Union government it leads were turning the democracy upside down to protect one man — Gautham Adani.

“Our country is at the crossroads and what has happened with my brother is only a symptom. It is a symptom how far we are down the path to dictatorship,” she said.

Saying that Rahul’s future as an MP is in the hands of the court, Priyanka said: “For me it is strange to know that he can’t fight another election for eight years. To ask questions, to demand accountability and to raise issues is the job of a parliamentarian. Every minister and even the prime minister finds it acceptable and appropriate to malign and mercilessly attack one man just because he asks questions. The truth is uncomfortable for those who lie, they unleash an industrial scale of propaganda against anyone who dares to question them,’’ she said.

She said the entire government defends an individual but ignores the farmers. “Our Prime Minister defends Adani but feels that he is not responsible for defending the people of India. His government believes that he owns India, but India belongs to you, brothers and sisters. I want you all to put India first. When institutions are failing, people have a role to become checks and balances. We will not stop asking questions… seeking accountability,’’ she said.

Priyanka, who had introduced Rahul to the voters in Wayanad ahead of the LS elections in 2019, said, “Rahul is an honest man unafraid to speak the truth and he is a brave man undaunted by the powers trying to silence him.’’