Making an emotional pitch in Rae Bareli to propel the INDIA bloc campaign, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Friday said she was giving the people of the constituency her son Rahul Gandhi “who will never disappoint you.”
“I am giving you my son (Rahul Gandhi). Treat him like your own as you treated me. Rahul will never disappoint you,” said Sonia Gandhi while addressing a large public rally in Rae Bareli, the Lok Sabha constituency that she represented for 20 years, winning the seat in 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2019.
Rae Bareli and Amethi were considered Congress bastions till 2019 when Union minister Smriti Irani defeated Rahul Gandhi in Amethi. Sonia Gandhi won Rae Bareli, the only seat bagged by the Congress in Uttar Pradesh in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
Rahul Gandhi is now contesting the Rae Bareli seat for which polling will be held in the fifth phase on May 20. He was also in the fray in Kerala’s Wayanad, which he represents in the Lok Sabha and where voting took place on April 26.
Both Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi stood behind Sonia Gandhi, who has now taken the Rajya Sabha route to parliament via Rajasthan, as she delivered her brief address.
{{/usCountry}}Both Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi stood behind Sonia Gandhi, who has now taken the Rajya Sabha route to parliament via Rajasthan, as she delivered her brief address.
{{/usCountry}}Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, along with other senior leaders of the Congress and the SP, was also present on the stage at the rally.
“Rae Bareli is my family in the same way as Amethi is my home. I have fond memories attached to these places. Our family’s roots are attached to this land for the past 100 years. Our relationship is pure like the Ganga. It began with the farmers’ agitation of Rae Bareli (1921) and continues even now... I have closely seen Indira Gandhi working. She had a place for the people (of Rae Bareli) in her heart. I have given Rahul and Priyanka the same education that Indira Gandhi and the people of Rae Bareli gave me...,” Sonia Gandhi said.
“Respect all, protect the weak and fight against injustice. Don’t get intimidated. You have very strong roots and traditions to fight. I have never (felt) myself alone because of your love. You have given me whatever I have,” she said.
“You gave me a chance to serve you as an MP for 20 years. This is the biggest asset of my life,” she said.