Smriti says Amethi will ‘reject’ Rahul; accuses him of taking PFI help in Wayanad

“Amethi will fight for its honour against Rahul Gandhi. Amethi will fight for its protection against Rahul Gandhi, who abandoned Amethi and thus will not be able to flourish there,” she said while talking to newspersons in Rae Bareli.

Union minister and Amethi MP Smriti Irani on Monday appeared confident that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi would contest from Amethi again, and claimed that the people of the constituency would reject him.

(File)

“Amethi will fight for its honour against Rahul Gandhi. Amethi will fight for its protection against Rahul Gandhi, who abandoned Amethi and thus will not be able to flourish there,” she said while talking to newspersons in Rae Bareli.

She also accused Rahul of taking support of banned outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) in Wayanad, the Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala from where Rahul had won even as he suffered defeat in Amethi in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has declared the PFI as an “unlawful association” under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Irani’s comment assumes significance as the Congress has yet not named its candidates for Amethi and Rae Bareli—the two Lok Sabha constituencies in U.P. which, barring aberrations, have been represented by a member of Nehru-Gandhi family or their picks for decades.

“BJP workers know that the Gandhi family will come to contest from Amethi. But the point is that the Gandhi family opposes Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has been sending rations to 19 lakh people in the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency. What is the message of the Gandhi family to these people who have been receiving free rations,” she asked during a visit to the Salon assembly segment that is a part of the Rae Bareli constituency.

Asked about the delay in the Congress in naming its picks for Rae Bareli and Amethi, Irani said: “There is a camp in the Congress which wants Rahul Gandhi to be relieved from leadership and a woman leader be given the command. I want to assure that camp that you will see Rahul Gandhi losing again in Amethi and you can stake your claim for the leadership of the Congress,” the BJP leader said.

On former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra expressing interest in contesting from Amethi, Irani said: “There is an internal discord in the Congress. It is Congress versus Congress in that party.”

Referring to senior opposition leaders paying tributes to gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, who died recently, Irani said it was no surprise given that leaders like Rahul were taking the support of a terror organisation to contest his election.

To back her PFI charge, she said, “People of the constituency tolerated an MP for 15 years who did nothing for them. We have received information that Rahul Gandhi took the support of the terrorist organisation PFI to contest the election in Wayanad,” she said.

Irani also claimed that according to a charge sheet filed against the PFI, the outfit has listed the number of Hindus to be killed in every district.

“Rahul Gandhi should tell the people of Amethi why he is contesting the Wayanad election with the help of such an organisation,” Irani told reporters.

“I was in Wayanad a few days ago and I came to know that Rahul Gandhi has declared Wayanad as his family. It is said that people change colours. For the first time, it was seen that people change their families too,” she added.

UP Congress spokesman Anshu Awasthi said: “Smriti is desperate and it is showing in her reactions. She is facing a certain defeat and that is why she has taken to making reckless statements. Her game is up as the Gandhi family shares a familial bond with the people of Amethi and Rae Bareli.”