In his first public meeting since the debacle at Lok Sabha elections 2019, Congress president Rahul Gandhi launched a fresh attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his old ‘love wins over hate’ barb.

Addressing supporters in Kerala’s Nilambur, Gandhi said that the new government only spreads hatred while the Congress understands that love can combat hatred.

“The current government and Mr Narendra Modi spread hatred in the country and the Congress party knows and understands that the only way to combat hatred is through love and affection,” he said.

The 48-year-old Congress chief said that he and his party is committed to defending weak people in the country “under attack by Modi himself”.

“We’re committed to defending space of opposition, defending weak people in this country, defending people who are under attack by Mr Modi’s policies and Mr Modi himself,” he said.

Gandhi, who won from Wayanad constituency by a record margin, expressed his intention of building a “better Wayanad”.

“I look forward to representing you and working with you to build a better Wayanad,” he said.

Gandhi landed at Kozhikode airport around 2 pm on Friday before arriving in Wayanad parliamentary constituency to a massive public reception, kick starting his three-day visit to the state.

Moving around in a convoy of 100 vehicles, Gandhi, accompanied by senior party leaders, was in an open vehicle and despite heavy rain, thousands of people waited cheerfully to see him.

Later in the day his convoy entered Kalikavu in Malappuram district in Kerala, part of the Wayanad constituency.

Enroute to Nilambur, he had tea at a roadside tea stall. He interacted with the people at the tea stall and also posed for selfies. His third stop in the day was Edavana.

Gandhi is scheduled to participate in at least 15 public receptions across the constituency, spread over the districts of Wayanad, Malappuram and Kozhikode.

Thousands of party workers and leaders greeted Gandhi at the airport. Supporters were seen waving party flags as Gandhi’s cavalcade traversed the roads of Malappuram.

Earlier in the day, Gandhi tweeted, “I will be in Wayanad, Kerala, starting this afternoon and till Sunday to meet citizens and Congress party workers. It’s a packed schedule with over 15 public receptions planned over the next three days.”

This is the first time Gandhi is participating in a public rally Kerala after the party’s drubbing in the general elections.

While the Congress suffered a major debacle in the parliamentary election in the rest of the country, it managed to win significant number of seats in Kerala and Punjab finishing with a total tally of 52.

Wayanad was one of the two seats from where the 48-year-old Gandhi contested – the other being Amethi, the Gandhi family bastion which he lost to BJP’s Smriti Irani.

Gandhi won from Wayanad by a margin of over 4.31 lakh votes, a state record, and lost Amethi by a margin of 55120 votes.

Reports say that Gandhi will be accorded reception at Kalpetta, Kambalkadu, Panamaram, Mananthavadi, Pulpally and Sultan Batheri and will also attend a roadshow in Kozhikode Assembly constituency on 9 June, before leaving for Delhi.