The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday criticised Congress MP Rahul Gandhi as he visited the residence of a forest department watcher, who was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Kerala’s Wayanad.

Union minister and BJP leader V Muraleedharan said Rahul Gandhi is a tourist in his own constituency, which has been facing a man-animal conflict for more than a week.

“He (Rahul Gandhi) is a tourist in his own constituency. He goes there once in 5-6 months. He should take care of the issues of the constituency that has been facing man-animal conflict for more than a week. Rahul Gandhi did not find time to visit till now,” Muraleedharan told ANI.

The union minister alleged that forest watcher VP Paul died due to a lack of medical assistance.

“The reason for the death of a forest watchman was that he did not get the required medical assistance. Wayanad does not have a medical college where such people can be treated…Rahul Gandhi should have taken care of his constituency and ensured that basic medical facilities were there…” the union minister said.

On Saturday, Rahul Gandhi abruptly halted his ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ in Varanasi and left for Wayanad after public protest over the deaths of residents in wild elephant attacks.

He spent over 20 minutes at the house of Aji (42), who was trampled to death by a radio-collared elephant in the Mananthavady area of Wayanad district triggering massive protests last week.

Following this, he visited the residence of Paul, the eco-tourism guide of the forest department who was killed by a wild tusker near Kuruva island on Friday.

In view of the attacks, a district-wide hartal was called in Wayanad on Saturday to seek permanent solutions to the man-animal conflicts in the region. Shops and business establishments remained closed while vehicles were kept off the roads across the district.

The hartal by the ruling LDF, opposition UDF and BJP turned violent in Pulpally, with protesters damaging a forest department vehicle and tying atop it a cow that was killed in a suspected tiger attack earlier in the day.