DYFI Leads Bike Rally to Congress-Purchased Land in Wayanad, Slams Congress for Forgetting Promise Made to Landslide Victims

Kalpetta: The DYFI conducted a bike rally to the plot of land purchased by Congress in Kunnampatta, Meppadi, purportedly to build houses for survivors of the Mundakkai-Chooralmala landslide disaster — drawing attention to what the organisation described as a broken promise 53 days after Rahul Gandhi and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra laid a foundation stone at the site and left without a follow-up.

The rally was led by DYFI State President V Vazeef, starting from the government township in Kalpetta. At the road leading to the plot, DYFI workers erected a banner reading: "The road to the three-and-a-half acres Congress claims to have bought to build 230 houses for disaster victims — where full payment for the land has not yet been made."

Vazeef accused Congress and Youth Congress of exploiting the tragedy to collect crores in donations and then abandoning their commitments. "The foundation-laying was political theatre staged with the state assembly elections in mind. We are reminding them of the promise they made and the road they have since forgotten," he said.

He contrasted Congress's record with DYFI's, noting that while DYFI had initially announced 25 houses, it had collected and handed over funds sufficient for 100 — with DYFI members raising ₹20 crore through manual labour and scrap collection. Congress, Rahul Gandhi, and Youth Congress, he said, had collected enough for 230 houses, yet 20 months after the disaster, construction had not begun on a single one. He accused opposition leader V D Satheesan of falsely claiming that work had begun, and demanded that those responsible answer to the people.

The rally was chaired by district president K R Jithin, with state vice president L G Lijeesh and other leaders addressing the gathering.