New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party leaders have attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for vacating the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala and accused him of "deceiving" the people of the constituency.
Rahul Gandhi won from both Wayanad and Raebareli Lok Sabha seats.
Former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar called it an "insult" to the Wayanad people. He also slammed Rahul Gandhi for not announcing before the elections, that he will contest from two seats.
Former Union Minister V Muraleedharan said the Congress wants to make Wayanad a Gandhi family constituency.
"Priyanka Gandhi has the right to contest from anywhere in the country but there are many questions that arise from this decision of the Congress and in particular, Rahul Gandhi...He hid from them (voters of Wayanad) the fact that he was also going to contest in Raebareli," Rajeev Chandrasekhar told ANI.
"He (Rahul Gandhi) deceived them and today, after they have in good faith, supported him and given him one more chance to do something for the people, he is washing his hands and saying I am going to Raebareli. It is a betrayal of the people of Wayanad. She (Priyanka Gandhi) is making her political debut in a seat that is going to be extremely easy for her to win because IUML supports her," he added.
Muraleedharan alleged that Priyanka Gandhi has no connection with Kerala.
"It's an insult to the entire state of Kerala and especially to the people of Wayanad. Now, instead of Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi is going to contest from Wayanad. It means that the way Amethi and Rae Bareli are family constituencies, the same way Wayanad will be their family constituency. Why Priyanka Gandhi, who has no connection with Kerala, is contesting from Wayanad?" he asked.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge announced Priyanka Gandhi's candidature from Wayanad at a special press conference on Monday, after Rahul Gandhi announced that he would resign as an MP from Wayanad and will keep the Raebareli constituency.
Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday formally informed the Lok Sabha Speaker's office about retaining the Raebareli Lok Sabha seat and vacating the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat.
If Priyanka Gandhi wins from Wayanad, three members of the Nehru-Gandhi family will be in Parliament - Sonia Gandhi in Rajya Sabha and Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi in the Lok Sabha.
Priyanka Gandhi said on Monday that she will contest the bypoll from Wayanad but her decades-old association with Amethi and Raebareli will continue.
"I am very happy to be able to represent Wayanad and I will not let them feel his (Rahul Gandhi's) absence. I will work hard and I will try my best to make everyone happy and be a good representative. I have a very old relationship with Raebareli and Amethi and it cannot be broken. I will also help my brother in Rae Bareli. We will both be present in Rae Bareli and Wayanad," Priyanka Gandhi said.
—ANI