New Delhi: On Tuesday, Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, participated in an effort to promote tourism in landslide-affected Wayanad, Kerala, by riding the state’s longest zipline. His visit to the zipline at the Karapuzha dam site came just a day before the Wayanad bypolls, where the fate of his sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency will be decided.
In a video that quickly went viral, Gandhi spoke about his visit, sharing his experience with the local community. “On Priyanka’s campaign trail in Wayanad yesterday, I had the chance to connect with some truly inspiring locals. Despite the recent challenges, they are not giving up. They’ve created amazing attractions like the largest giant swing in South India, a drop tower, and this thrilling zipline to show that Wayanad is as stunning and safe as ever. I even tried the zipline myself, and I loved every second of it,” he said.
Gandhi also emphasized that Wayanad’s tourism should not be affected by the recent landslides. “There is no problem in Wayanad. The landslide was a localized event, so tourism must not be damaged,” he remarked while interacting with locals. In a lighthearted moment, he even invited Priyanka Gandhi to join him on the zipline challenge — in a saree.
Rahul Gandhi also challenged Priyanka to work towards making Wayanad a prominent tourist destination. The region was hit hard by landslides and flooding in July this year, which resulted in the loss of over 200 lives and caused widespread destruction. Priyanka’s electoral debut comes as Wayanad is recovering and rebuilding from these disasters.
Emotional scenes unfolded at the polling stations for survivors of the landslides as they reunited with neighbors and friends, many of whom had been displaced. A special vehicle service was arranged to help these survivors reach the polling stations from their temporary residences for the bypolls, where Priyanka faces competition from BJP’s Navya Haridas and LDF candidate Satyan Mokeri.
