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Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday rode Kerala's longest zipline in a bid to boost tourism in landslide-hit Wayanad.
His visit to the zipline situated at the Karapuzha dam site came a day before Wayanad went to bypolls to decide his sister and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's fate in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency.
In the video that has now gone viral, he said, "On Priyanka's campaign trail in Wayanad yesterday, I had the chance to connect with some truly inspiring locals. Despite the recent challenges, they're not giving up. They've built incredible attractions - the largest giant swing in South India, a drop tower, and a thrilling zipline all to show visitors that Wayanad is as stunning and safe as ever. I even tried the zipline myself, and I loved every second of it.'
He was also seen interacting with locals in the video, adding that, "There is no problem in Wayanad. The landslide was a localised event, so tourism must not be damaged." In a lighter vein, he invited Priyanka Gandhi to join him on the zipline challenge - dressed in a saree.
In a separate speech, Rahul Gandhi also challenged Priyanka Gandhi to make Wayanad a tourist destination.
In landslides and flooding witnessed in Choormala and Meppadi in July this year, over 200 lives were lost and widespread destruction was witnessed. Priyanka Gandhi's electoral debut comes at a time Wayanad is building back to normalcy. She faces BJP's Navya Haridas and LDF candidate Satyan Mokeri in the bypolls.
Emotional scenes were witnessed at the polling stations set up for the survivors of the landslides to cast their votes in the bypoll for the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency when they saw their neighbours and close friends after a long time since the disaster. A special free vehicle service has been provided for landslide survivors to reach the polling stations from the various places they are temporarily residing at.