Where are the Gandhi siblings? This is the question the BJP is asking after leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra did not visit the constituency following the July 7 landslide that claimed eight lives.Priyanka is the sitting MP, while Rahul was elected from Wayanad twice in 2019 and 2024. The BJP has reminded the Gandhis of Rahul’s promise that Wayanad would have “two MPs”, one official and one unofficial, when he was passing over the baton to Priyanka. A week after the tragedy, the BJP’s charge is that Wayanad effectively has neither.
The ‘part-time politicians’ charge
The BJP has accused the Gandhi siblings of being “part-time politicians” and treating Wayanad as a constituency of political convenience.BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi cited Rahul’s defeat in the family bastion of Amethi in 2019 to argue that Wayanad had provided him political ground at a difficult moment.
“When Rahul Gandhi was unsuccessful in saving his political ground on his family seat, Wayanad provided him with political ground,” Trivedi said. “When he left that seat and gave it to his sister Priyanka, Rahul Gandhi said Wayanad would have not one, but two MPs. And today, both the so-called MPs are absent from the scene.”BJP spokesperson Tuhin Sinha sharpened the attack, calling Rahul and Priyanka “political tourists”. He alleged that Rahul had used Wayanad for his political survival after losing Amethi and abandoned it once he won Rae Bareli. He also claimed that Priyanka could leave if a more convenient seat became available.
Why Wayanad matters
Wayanad has a special connection with the Gandhi siblings. Priyanka Gandhi represents Wayanad in the present Lok Sabha while Rahul Gandhi won from here twice.In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Wayanad elected Rahul Gandhi for Lok Sabha with an impressive margin of over 12 lakh votes. This victory was significant and important for Rahul’s political career as the people of Amethi, from where the Gandhi scion was winning since 2014, had rejected him. Rahul had lost the election to BJP’s Smriti Irani. Wayanad victory ensured Rahul’s continued presence in Lok Sabha.In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi again won from Wayanad though with a reduced margin. However, since Rahul also won from Rae Bareli, the traditional Congress stronghold in Uttar Pradesh, he vacated his Wayanad seat. And that paved the way for the electoral debut of his sister Priyanka Gandhi in the ensuing bypoll. She won the November 2024 by-election by a landslide, securing 65% of the vote share and outperforming Rahul’s previous victory margin. So, their no-show in Wayanad has given the BJP enough ammunition for political attack.
Beyond Wayanad: Where is Rahul?
The Wayanad attack is part of a larger question the BJP has raised over the past few days: Where is Rahul Gandhi?Rahul has remained out of public view for nearly three weeks. His last major public appearance was at the launch of the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ student outreach initiative in Kota on June 17 amid the controversy over alleged irregularities in NEET. The next planned event is on July 17.BJP claims that Rahul travelled abroad on June 22. The Congress has not responded to these claims.BJP IT department head Amit Malviya questioned the secrecy surrounding Rahul’s programme. “Rahul Gandhi’s foreign trip between 22 June and 13 July remains shrouded in mystery. Where did he go? Who did he meet? Who sponsored his travel and stay?” he said in a post on X.The timing has made the absence politically significant. The Congress is grappling with factionalism in Punjab ahead of the 2027 assembly elections, while preparations are also due for the Monsoon Session beginning July 20. As leader of the opposition, Rahul will be central to the party’s floor strategy.Wayanad has now added another issue to that list.
Congress pushes back
The BJP’s attacks prompted a strong rebuttal from the Congress. Pawan Khera, chairman of the party’s media and publicity department, rejected the charge of insensitivity and defended the decision not to visit Wayanad while rescue operations were under way.“If there is a natural disaster, why should there be a VIP visit? There should be a VIP visit only to flag the gaps before the government, if it is insensitive in addressing the concerns of victims and their woes. Right now, the government in Kerala is active, relief measures are under way, and there is no need to disrupt those measures,” Khera said.“Those questioning the absence of Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi must understand that VIP visits are meant to flag gaps and missing links. There is no such need,” he added.Both Rahul and Priyanka had responded to the tragedy through posts on X. Rahul described the news as “deeply distressing”, offered condolences and appealed to Congress and UDF workers to extend all possible assistance.
Priyanka said rescue efforts were under way and chief minister V D Satheesan was monitoring the operation. She said she was coordinating with the district administration, ministers, local party functionaries and relief agencies, and urged UDF workers to help without hampering rescue work.The Congress’s argument is that the absence of a physical visit should not be equated with a lack of involvement.
What commentators say
Political commentators, however, said the presence of an elected representative becomes especially important when tragedy strikes their constituency.“People expect their MLA and MP to stand by them when tragedy strikes, particularly when it is caused by a natural disaster. It is unfortunate that the Wayanad MP has not visited the area even after a week,” Kerala-based political commentator Damodar Prasad told TOI.“Elected representatives are expected to be present and oversee relief efforts. Their absence risks alienating them from the people,” he added.Professor G Gopakumar, senior political scientist and former vice-chancellor of the Central University of Kerala, said both Rahul and Priyanka should have rushed to Wayanad.“Since the state government is also led by the Congress, the situation requires proper attention. It is a shared responsibility,” he said, adding that the recurring disasters should push Kerala to seriously review environmental protection and future policy, as recommended by the Madhav Gadgil and K Kasturirangan committees.
Is the attack justified?
While the Congress has strongly defended the Gandhis over the Wayanad no-show, arguing against VIP visits during disasters, the fact remains that two years ago both Rahul and Priyanka visited Wayanad after a massive landslide killed more than 300 people.They visited the landslide-hit Chooralmala area on August 1, 2024. Rahul had then committed that the Congress family would build more than 100 houses in the disaster-hit areas.Kerala was then ruled by the CPM-led LDF, while the Congress-led UDF was in the opposition. The Congress won the 2026 Assembly elections and now heads the state government.Little wonder, then, that the BJP is questioning the absence of the Gandhis from the scene of the latest tragedy and linking it to political opportunism.For Rahul and Priyanka, the controversy is therefore less about administrative responsibility and more about whether their promised political commitment to Wayanad is visible when the constituency needs it most.
