Congress president Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination papers for the Lok Sabha election from the Wayanad constituency on Thursday.

Mr. Gandhi was accompanied by his sister and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. They held a brief roadshow from the helipad at SKMJ High School ground here to the Wayanad Collectorate before filing the nomination.

Mr. Gandhi filed his papers before District Collector A.R. Ajayakumar, who is also the returning officer, around 11.15 a.m. Four sets of nomination papers were filed by Gandhi.

Later addressing mediapersons, Mr. Gandhi said emphatically that he would not criticise the CPI(M).

He said he would observe the CPI(M) attacks against him with happiness. “You will not hear a word against the CPI(M) during my campaign,” he repeated.

“I know that the CPI(M) and the Congress are locked in a fight in Kerala. And this fight will go on,” Mr. Gandhi said. “But I want to make it very clear to my brothers and sisters in Kerala, and to my brothers and sisters of the CPI(M). I am not here to say a word against the CPI(M). I am here to send a message of unity and I am here to give a message that South India is important,” he said.

Attacks Modi

“The manner in which the present government under Narendra Modi and the RSS is functioning has given a feeling among the people of South India – Tamil Nadu and Kerala – that there is an attack on their culture, language and history, ” he said.

“Mr. Modi has failed on jobs and he also failed on farmers. Also on matter of corruption. The country had faith in the Prime Minster when he said he would be a chowkidar. The fact of the matter is that the chowkidar himself has given ₹30,000 crore of Air Force money to Anil Ambani. He has stolen the money and given it to Mr. Ambani, ” Mr. Gandhi said.

Earlier, Mr. Gandhi, accompanied by Wayanad District Congress Committee president I.C. Balakrishnan, MLA; Indian Union Muslim League Malappuram district president Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal; and Malappuram District Congress Committee president V.V. Prakash, reached the Collectorate around 11.15 a.m. to file his nomination.

At the helipad, the Gandhis were received by party national leaders, including general secretaries Mukul Wasnik, Oommen Chandy, and K.C. Venugopal and IUML leader P.K. Kunhalikutty.

Even in the scorching heat, close to one lakh party workers, including women, gathered on both sides of the Kozhikode-Kollegal stretch of National Highway 766 waving party flags and raising slogans.

Congress workers from the neighbouring districts such as Chamarajanagar and Coorg in Karnataka, and Nilgiri in Tamil Nadu reached here early in the morning to meet the leaders.

After filing the papers, the leaders held a second roadshow that lasted nearly 40 minutes in Kalpetta town. Around 2 p.m. they left for the Kozhikode airport.

Mr. Gandhi is locked in a multi-cornered contest in the Wayanad constituency. His main opponents are Left Democratic Front’s P.P. Suneer and the National Democratic Alliance’s Thushar Vellappally.