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‘Does Gandhi family think…’: Smriti Irani on ‘Rahul will win Amethi’ remark
Union Minister Smriti Irani on Friday said, “In a democracy, everyone has the right to contest from anywhere.”
Union Minister Smriti Irani, who defeated Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Amethi in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, responded to Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai's comments claiming Rahul Gandhi will win from Amethi and said that in a democracy everyone had a right to contest from anywhere they wanted.
Speaking to news agency PTI, Irani said, “In a democracy, everyone has the right to contest from anywhere. However, in Amethi, the Gandhi family has always opposed the [Narendra] Modi-Yogi [Adityanath] government.”
Irani reached Amethi on Thursday for a two-day visit during which she was scheduled to inaugurate several industrial units.
Irani further said that under the double engine government of led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath government, over 7,50,000 people receive free grains in Amethi.
She questioned, “Does the Gandhi family think that poverty-ridden families will leave the grains they are entitled to just so that the Gandhi family can succeed?”
Rahul Gandhi made his parliamentary debut from the Amethi constituency in 2004 and won the next two Lok Sabha elections from the same seat before losing it to BJP's Smriti Irani in 2019. Sonia Gandhi, an MP from Rae Bareli, is the only Congress parliamentarian from UP at present and the grand old party would be eyeing to wrest Amethi from Smriti Irani.
Irani added, “Does the Gandhi family think that 5,00,000 farmers of Amethi will leave their annual income of ₹6,000 just so that the Gandhi family's name can shine? Does the Gandhi family think that 90,000 families of Amethi who received keys to their own houses for the first time, will abandon their houses so that Gandhi family can settle there?”
What Ajay Rai said?
Newly appointed Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai on Thursday said that Amethi and the Congress had a generations-old bond and its people would ensure that Rahul Gandhi wins the Amethi seat with a huge margin in the upcoming Lok Sabha election.
He also said that Rahul Gandhi never lied to Amethi's people, unlike sitting MP Irani. He alleged that Irani had been lying to the citizens of Amethi regarding the developmental work in the constituency adding that people have understood her tricks.
He said, “It is the demand of the people of Amethi that Rahul Gandhi contest the election from here and they will ensure his victory by at least 5 lakh votes.”
Rai added, “She is roaming around in Amethi afraid of the news of Rahul's arrival here. She will go from house to house. But nothing is going to happen now because the people of Amethi are standing with their family.”
