Kozhikode: AICC general secretary Tariq Anwar, who is in-charge of Kerala, expressed hope that Rahul Gandhi would once again contest from Wayanad constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. However, he reminded that the final decision rests with the party. The veteran Congress leader who had come to Kerala to attend India-24 eye camp organised by DCC, addressed the media in a press conference.

AICC general secretary said that the party high command shall decide whether to give tickets to sitting MPs in the upcoming elections.

“The Congress party aims a clean sweep in Kerala in LS 2024. There is a clear reason behind the presence of election strategist Sunil Kanugolu in the party meetings. That will help him to formulate plans for elections by understanding the party's internal structure. At this moment, the party is not ready to entertain any sort of criticisms regarding Kanugolu’s presence in meetings,” said Tariq Anwar.

“There is an anti-incumbency sentiment across the country. When it comes to Kerala, the same feeling prevails against the CPM party in rule. In Kerala, there has been a nexus between CPM-BJP for a long time now,” said the AICC general secretary.

In the interaction, the veteran Congressman also dismissed Padmaja Venugopal’s statement that the Congress party setup is not conducive for women. Tariq Anwar also talked about the party’s intention to execute caste census across the country, in the lines of the Bihar state.

“Caste-based census is an X-ray of Indian society. The census will be implemented in all Congress ruled states for sure,” said Tariq. AICC secretary P Viswanathan, DCC president K Praveen Kumar, PM Niyas, N Subramanian, and KCB also participated in the press conference.