Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that there was a demand for him to contest from Kerala as South of India feels that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hostile towards it.
In response to a question on him contesting from the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, Rahul said that there was a "demand for me" since a "very strong feeling" exists in the South of India that the people of the region are not being carried along with rest of the country by the Modi government. "South India feels hostility from Mr Narendra Modi," he said.
He added, "They feel that they are not being included in the decisions of this country. So, I wanted to send a message to South India that we are with you and we are standing with you. That is why I am standing from Kerala."
On March 31, senior Congress leader AK Antony had announced that Rahul Gandhi will be contesting from Wayanad parliamentary constituency in Kerala in addition to Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, with an aim to strengthen the unity of north and south.
Kerala, which has 20 Lok Sabha seats, goes to polls in a single phase on April 23.