Amid Congress infighting, Rahul, Sonia Gandhi visit Priyanka in Wayanad

Thiruvananthapuram: Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi came down to Wayanad on Friday to join Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who has been camping in her constituency for the past few days.

Even as the visit of the AICC top brass is reported to be a private one, it has come at a time when the Congress Kerala leadership as well as the party Wayanad unit are facing internal issues.

Party's preparations for the coming local body and assembly polls will also be also reviewed.

Sonia and Rahul, who reached Padinjarathara in Wayanad in a helicopter from Kozhikode airport, were received by Priyanka and other Congress leaders including Kerala PCC president Sunny Joseph.

AICC general secretary K C Venugopal also accompanied the Congress parliamentary party chairperson and leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha. The leaders later held a brief meeting at a hotel where the AICC leaders are camping.

Priyanka, who is in Wayanad since last week, had been meeting victims of man-animal conflicts, tribal hamlets in the forest areas, farmer Cheruvayal Raman, who is known for preserving traditional varieties of paddy, and many social cultural leaders in the constituency.

The Wayanad unit of the Congress is caught up in serious infights which even led to open clashes recently.

The death by suicide of party district vice president N M Vijayan and his son earlier this year had also caused embarrassment to the party as financial stress caused by some party local leaders were alleged to be the reason. \Vijayan's daughter-in-law even attempted suicide recently accusing the Congress leadership of failing to fulfil their assurance to settle the debts that the family is facing.

There were also reports that in the last ten years five party local leaders and workers in Wayanad ended life by suicide owing to party related issues.

The visit of the AICC leaders to Kerala is also taking place amidst a row over veteran Congress leader and former defence minister A K Antony openly expressing his displeasure over the party leaders failing in defending the criticism in the assembly against the police actions during Antony's term as Chief Minister.

Antony, who has been keeping off from active politics for quite some time, had even convened a press conference on Tuesday to counter the criticisms of the ruling left-front over the police actions against tribals in Wayanad in 2003 and the police action at Sivagiri Mutt in 1995 while Antony was the Chief Minister.

This had triggered a strong campaign targeting opposition leader V D Satheesan. It was also considered to be sequel to a cyber campaign against Satheesan after he remained firm on the decision to suspend from party young MLA Rahul Mamkootathil after sexual misconduct allegations surfaced.