The hill district witnessed numerous rallies, celebrating the Supreme Court verdict that stayed the lower court's conviction of Rahul Gandhi.
Published Aug 04, 2023 | 9:21 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 04, 2023 | 9:39 PM
Congress rally in Sulthan Bathery in Wayanad after the Supreme Court verdict staying the conviction of Rahul Gandhi. (Supplied)
Sweets came out first, much before jubilant Congress workers took out rallies — many of them dancing — in all the seven Assembly constituencies of the Lok Sabha segment to celebrate the legal victory of the “Prince of Wayanad”.
The scenes were more or less the same across the constituency on Friday, 4 August, soon after television channels aired the Supreme Court verdict, staying the Surat trial court’s conviction of Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 “Modi surname” defamation case.
Wayanad has been expecting — and waiting for — this moment, ever since the Lok Sabha secretariat disqualified him on 23 March, after the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma sentenced him to two years in jail — the maximum possible sentence in a defamation case, and also the minimum required to disqualify a convicted MP from the House.
All political parties in Kerala, barring the BJP, had then condemned the disqualification.
“Ramifications of the trial court’s order are wide. Not only was Rahul Gandhi’s right to continue in public life affected but also that of the electorate who elected him,” the Supreme Court said while staying the order on Friday.
Even as Congress workers spilled over to the streets in celebration, several others remained glued to television sets in euphoric disbelief.
District Congress Committee president ND Appachan said the celebrations were natural since the constituency had been waiting with bated breath for the Supreme Court order.
“We were sure about a favourable verdict, and we had advised our cadres to prepare for celebration rallies,” he told South First.
Congress workers distribute sweets after the Supreme Court verdict in the Rahul Gandhi case.
On whether reinstating Gandhi’s Lok Sabha membership would be delayed, he said the people of Wayanad were least concerned about the technicalities and partisan politics involved in it.
“We won the battle. Our stand was vindicated. Everything else is a matter of time,” Appachan, who led marches in Kalpetta and Sulthan Bathery in the evening, said.
Sulthan Bathery MLA IC Balakrishnan said sweets were distributed across the constituency, and even people opposed to the Congress joined the celebrations. He found it a sign of Gandhi gaining more acceptability among the local community.
While Wayanad celebrated, the Congress’s state leaders heaved a sigh of relief.
Two days ago, Gandhi had convened a meeting of leaders from Kerala in New Delhi and advised them to work collectively to win a maximum number of seats from Kerala in the Lok Sabha polls. Of the 20 Parliament seats, the Congress-led UDF now has 19.
Congress leaders said they were now hoping for a clean sweep, winning all 20 seats.
“Rahul Gandhi’s return as Wayanad’s Lok Sabha member will boost the party’s prospects in the Lok Sabha election. Unlike the last Parliament election, Rahul is stronger in Kerala now,” Opposition leader VD Satheesan said.
“People cutting across political affiliations believe him as the alternative to hate politics. His presence in Wayanad will increase the party’s prospects in other constituencies as well,” he added.
“It is something we all have to celebrate. The apex court has provided us with an occasion to rejoice. Secular India needs Rahul Gandhi, and his return to parliamentary politics will bring in major changes,” Panakkad Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal, president of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), said.
“It’s a big blow to the vindictive politics of the BJP. The verdict will make Rahul stronger in Wayanad. Politically it will boost the Congress’s prospects,” T Siddique, Congress MLA representing Kalpetta in Wayanad, said.
“Finally, Rahul Gandhi has got justice from the apex court. It’s a verdict against the BJP’s vendetta politics,” Salih, a Congress worker, said.
Another Congress worker from Wayanad, Vinod Kumar, said, “All of us who believe in democracy are overjoyed with today’s Supreme Court verdict. It is a verdict against Modi.”
Shamsudeen, a voter in Wayanad, termed the verdict the happiest moment for the people of Wayanad as they got their MP back.
Senior Congress MP and former KPCC president K Muraleedharan said the party leaders and workers were confident that Rahul Gandhi would get justice when the case reached the Supreme Court. “We have faith in the apex court and are all happy,” he said.
“This verdict is most welcome as his presence is essential in Parliament,” he told reporters in Kottayam.
Talking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, veteran Congress leader and former defence minister AK Antony wished Gandhi would opt for the Wayanad again in the 2024 elections to take forward his fight to restore secular India.
“It is my wish, the wish of the people of Kerala, Congress people of Kerala, UDF people of Kerala, and all the secular-minded people of Kerala. This is my wish,” Antony said.
The former Kerala chief minister further said the judgement had made Gandhi invincible.
“Now, in the coming political battle, nobody can defeat him. After the lower court judgement, his courage, conviction, and willingness to sacrifice anything to fight for a cause made him a hero among the Indian people,” Antony said.
He added that the verdict rekindled the hopes of re-establishing democracy, secularism, diversity, and plurality after the 2024 elections.
Though the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala supported Gandhi soon after his disqualification, it kept mum on Friday.
The party’s state secretary MV Govindan had already stated that the Left parties would field their common candidate against Gandhi if he chose to contest again from Wayanad.
The BJP’s state leaders preferred not to comment on the development.
(With PTI inputs)
