Kannur: Former Congress president and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi arrived in Kerala on Friday morning for a three-day visit. This is his first visit to the Lok Sabha constituency after his constituency office was ransacked by the activists of the Students' Federation of India (SFI) last week. Tight security is put in place in the light of the prevailing political atmosphere of the State.
The Congress leader will be attending various events including the inauguration of the building of a farmers bank in Mananthavady and a public gathering, named Bahujana Sangamam, organised by the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Sulthan Bathery, alongside other events.
He is also expected to take part in a protest march against the move to create a 1 km wide buffer zone around forests. This is scheduled at 4 pm at Gandhi Square, Batheri.
Strict security measures were in force at the Kannur Airport as part of Rahul's visit to Wayanad on Friday following the security scare at the CPM headquaters on Thursday night. As part of the enhanced vigil, 1,500 police personnel have been deployed across Wayanad district.
DIG Rahul G Nair is overseeing the security arrangements for Rahul. Over the last few weeks the overall security scenario in Kerala is tense in the wake of vehement opposition-led protests against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over his suspected role in illegitimate overseas deals. Several Congress party offices came under attack after three Youth Congress activists brazenly chanted slogans against the CM on an airplane that landed at the Trivandrum Airport. With the CPM alleging Congress hand over the targeting of CPM headquarters by a miscreant last night, the hostilities between the two major parties in Kerala are unlikely to diminish.
Sudhakaran suspects EP's hand
An unidentified person threw an explosive substance at the AKG Centre in Thiruvananthapuram city on Thursday night. The Congress alleged the attack was planned to divert the attention from Rahul's visit to the State.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief K Sudhakaran alleged the attack was plotted by Left Democratic Front (LDF) convener and CPM central committee member E P Jayarajan in a bid to corner the Congress. Earlier, Jayarajan claimed the attack was aimed at derailing the law and order in the State with the ultimate aim of destabilising the government.
The security cover for all major offices and events, including Rahul's visit, has been augmented following the events.
The protest march of the SFI over the ESZ issue had turned violent last week as a group of protestors entered Rahul's office and vandalised it, prompting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to strongly condemn the incident and warning stern action against the culprits.
Rahul will return to Delhi from Kozhikode on Sunday.
