Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani’s visit to Kerala has generated curiosity in political circles as the center of the tour is events in Wayanad district, the headquarters of the Lok Sabha constituency represented by the Congress leader. Rahul Gandhi,
Some quarters have begun to compare his first visit to the district with his systematic campaigns in Uttar Pradesh. Amethi Till 2019 when he dropped Rahul after his defeat in 2014. Some are wondering whether she will challenge the Congress MP in the hilly region in 2024 as Rahul too has been called a “visitor” to her seat by critics over the past three years. ,
So why and what is the significance of this journey?
The minister has seven programs on Tuesday between 10 am and 4.40 pm, none of them ‘political’.
Wayanad, 450 km from the capital of Kerala, is one of the 112 districts under the Aspirational Districts Program (ADP) launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2018. The aim was to quickly and quickly transform the least developed districts across the country. Effectively.
Smriti IraniArrived in the state on Monday night, the ADP will begin her official work in the morning with a review and interaction with the district magistrate and district officials at the Mini Conference Hall of the Wayanad Collectorate.
She will then visit One Stop Centre, Marvail Tribal Settlement, Ponnada Anganwadi and Vardhur Smart Anganwadi. She will meet representatives and stakeholders before leaving for Delhi in the evening.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has denied any political agenda for the yatra, saying it is a continuation of its efforts in the country’s tribal areas.
“The BJP had formed a fact-finding team after reports of infant deaths in Attappadi tribal settlement in Palakkad district continued. BJP spokesperson KVS Haridas said, the committee included Dr KS Radhakrishnan, Dr J Pramila Devi, retired Justice PN Raveendran and I, with C Krishna Kumar as its convener and former governor Kummanam Rajasekaran as its chairman. It was decided to visit Wayanad in a meeting with our state leadership. We did a random visit and found the condition of many tribal colonies pathetic despite giving huge amount of money for various schemes for the welfare of the community.
According to the 2011 census, the Scheduled Tribe population in Kerala is 4,84,839 (1.5% of the total population). Wayanad district has the highest number of tribal people with 1,51,443 people in all the three assembly constituencies of Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency. Two of them, Manantwadi and Sultan Bathery, are the only assembly constituencies reserved for Scheduled Tribes in the state. The constituency has three assembly constituencies- Nilambur, Eranad and Vandoor (SC reserved) in Malappuram district, and Thiruvambadi in Kozhikode district.
Incidentally, it was actor-politician Suresh Gopi—a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha whose term ended in April 2022—who, in his last few speeches in the Upper House, raised the issue of how central government works for the upliftment of the poor and downtrodden. Schemes SC/ST communities in Kerala were not being given due attention, which led to Irani’s visit.
“You will remember Suresh Gopi’s intervention in this matter. Rahul Gandhi has not visited any tribal colonies in his constituency, including Wayanad and Nilambur. The minister’s visit to tribal areas will highlight Rahul Gandhi’s three years as a local MP, along with the CPI(M)’s claim on high standards of development for Kerala.
Now, what about the prospects of a high-profile candidate for the BJP in Wayanad?
In 2019, Rahul won the seat by a margin of 65.67 per cent votes and 431,770 votes over his nearest rival, PP Sunir of the Communist Party of India (CPI). Tushar Vellapally of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) forfeited his deposit with just 6.22 per cent votes. However, four assembly constituencies went with the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF), while the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) had to be content with three. The NDA failed to garner 10 per cent votes in any of the seven assembly constituencies.
“Unlike in the past, it is looking like a tough time for Rahul WayanadIf he contests again,” said a top Congress leader on condition of anonymity.
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