Rahul Gandhi's north-south views deepen divide within Congress

Rahul Gandhi's views didn't even find support within his own party and have in fact further aggravated the divisions within the party.

In a major embarrassment for Rahul Gandhi, his own party has distanced itself from the controversial remarks made by the Wayanad MP during his visit to Kerala.
 

Addressing a rally in Thiruvananthapuram, Rahul Gandhi had stated that when he was a Member of Parliament from north India he got used to a different type of politics and that it was upon his arrival in Kerala that he found people who are interested in dealing with issues.
 

Rahul Gandhi said he found this "refreshing".  

The Congress leader's remarks evoked a sharp response from the Bharatiya Janata Party whose leaders claimed that Rahul was attempting to create a north-south divide.
 

Rahul Gandhi's views didn't even find support within his own party and have in fact further aggravated the divisions within the party.
 

While chief Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala slammed the BJP for raising superficial issues like this to criticise Rahul, Congress leaders like Anand Sharma and Kapil Sibal said that only Rahul Gandhi can explain the context (of his remarks).

Claiming that Congress has never insulted a region, Sharma said that each part of India is equally important and that North India too had contributed a lot.
 

In his cryptic response to media persons, Sibal said one must respect electors in the country and not denigrate their wisdom. 
 

"They know who to vote for and why," he said.