Union Minister Smriti Irani said on Monday that she recently got to know that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi “declared Wayanad as his family”. She also cited another Congress leader as saying, “Rahul Gandhi chose Wayanad because he says the people of Wayanad are more loyal”.
Reacting to this statement, Irani asked, “What about the loyalty of Amethi?” Her statement came days after Rahul Gandhi filed a nomination to contest the Lok Sabha Election 2024 from Kerala’s Wayanad. It is also speculated that Gandhi may contest the polls from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh as well.
Amethi, like Wayanad, was once considered the stronghold of the Congress. However, in the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, Rahul Gandhi lost to Smriti Irani from this Uttar Pradesh seat. Irani will again contest the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 from Amethi.
While Rahul Gandhi has already announced his candidature from Wayanad, the party is yet to announce its candidate from Amethi.
After filing his nomination from Wayanad, Gandhi had said, “I don’t treat you and think of you like an electorate. I treat you and think of you the same way I think of my little sister Priyanka. So in the houses of Wayanad, I have sisters, mothers, fathers and brothers. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart for that.”
Taking potshots at Gandhi, Irani said, “We heard that people change colours but this is the first time that I am seeing someone changing his family”.
“I went to Wayanad a few days ago and got the information that Rahul Gandhi has declared Wayanad as his family…Yesterday a Congress leader said that Rahul Gandhi chose Wayanad because Rahul Gandhi says that the people of Wayanad are more loyal. So, what about the loyalty of Amethi?…,” Irani said.
She said Amethi had an MP who did nothing for the constituency. “We all know that Sonia Gandhi led the government at the Centre for 10 years and Samajwadi Party (SP) was ruling the state [Uttar Pradesh], but Rahul Gandhi did nothing for Amethi…,” she said.
“So, what will he do when the BJP government is at the Centre and Yogi Adityanath’s in Uttar Pradesh,” Smriti Irani said.
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Published: 08 Apr 2024, 05:51 PM IST
