Congress general secretary and party youth icon Rahul Gandhi [Images] kick started the United Democratic Front election campaign by addressing the Kerala [Images] Raksha march conducted by the state party president Ramesh Chennithala.

In his speech, he called upon senior party leaders to start a package for Keralites who are suffering after the global crisis hit the Gulf region which has led to several people from the state returning home.

Gandhi also said that Kerala has led in several factors including the literacy movement and health indices and even the national leadership of the Congress party had learnt several lessons from the state's growth pattern.

He lashed out at the state's Left government and said people are suffering from the misdeeds of the government. He said that the UPA government has generously provided several projects worth Rs 40,000 crore to the state but the misdeeds of the state government meant that the benefits did not reach the people.

He said people were not able to properly get their due share from the UPA governments support owing to the total administrative failure and corruption carried out by the left government in the state.

Gandhi also said that the party is in the process of generating internal democracy in the youth Congress and the National Students Union of India.

The Shankumukham beach was teeming with people.