The diocese of Mananthavady in the southern state of Kerala has issued an all-party statement on the problems in Wayanad district, including the lack of infrastructure, schools and hospitals. In a visit he carried out yesterday, the Congress leader addressed these issues in part, but above all he attacked the ideology of the ruling party.
Thiruvananthapuram () – A few days before the start of the Lok Sabha elections, the lower house of the Indian Parliament, the diocese of Mananthavady, in the southern state of Kerala, has issued a statement addressed to all political parties on the main problems of the constituency in which Rahul Gandhi, leader of the main opposition party, Congress, is a candidate, who, confident of his re-election, yesterday held a traveling demonstration in the district.
The first phase of elections opens on April 19, but in Kerala voting will take place on April 26. The results will be announced on June 4. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling party from which Prime Minister Narendra Modi comes and which is competing for a third term, has nominated K. Surendran, president of the party's Kerala unit, as a candidate.
But the diocese of Mananthavady wanted to highlight a series of issues hitherto ignored by politicians: “We, the citizens residing in the Wayanad constituency, urge you to address the following urgent issues,” says the circular published by the diocese on Monday. “People had high expectations when Wayanad constituency was created for the Lok Sabha 15 years ago. However, compared to other Indian constituencies, Wayanad still does not have a central agenda,” the diocese continues, and then draws attention to the region's infrastructural deficiencies: “Wayanad does not have major higher education institutions or business enterprises. employment and political party programs do not propose measures to keep young people within the electoral college; These, on the contrary, increasingly migrate in search of education and job opportunities.”
But not only that, the district also lacks hospitals, the diocese note continues: “Wayanad is characterized by the lack of adequate medical and transportation structures, with the result that human lives are put at risk when they have to go out in search of medical care”. The local medical school, which depends on the government, offers insufficient service.
There are even several infrastructure projects that, despite promises, were never carried out, the diocese notes, such as the railroad and an airstrip. And lastly, conflicts and incidents caused by wildlife have never been addressed by politics: “There are people in Wayanad who cannot live in peace for fear of wild animals.”
The circular ends with a series of requirements, ranging from guarantees for religious freedom to help for small businesses, workers who are not part of a union and farmers, who do not have access to the retirement system.
All these issues were partly addressed during yesterday's visit by Rahul Gandhi, who attacked the BJP's propaganda on the ideology of a nation, a language, a leader and a people: “Language,” for example, “is not something that is imposed from above, language is something that arises from the heart of a person,” said Gandhi, noting the strong bond of the people of Kerala with their culture, which includes also Malayalam, the local language: “Malayalam is not just a language, it is your link with your civilization,” he added. “India is like a bouquet of flowers and each flower has to be respected,” he concluded.
