E-Paper
Robert Vadra's posters seen outside Congress office in Amethi amid suspense
While the posters have sparked speculation over Robert Vadra's possible candidacy from Amethi, the BJP was quick to react to it.
Posters displaying Robert Vadra, the husband of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, surfaced outside the party's office in the Gauriganj region in Uttar Pradesh's Amethi, even though the Congress is yet to announce its candidate for the constituency for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. While this has sparked speculation regarding his possible candidacy, the Bharatiya Janata Party was quick to react to it.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Uttar Pradesh deputy CM Brajesh Pathak told news agency ANI, “His brother-in-law (Rahul Gandhi) will say whether they would make him (Robert Vadra) contest. I have no such information.”
“These posters have been put up by the people of Amethi and the people of Congress, our brother-in-law (Robert Vadra) will do the work of defeating Smriti Irani,” news agency IANS quoted Youth Congress president Sonu Singh as saying.
The posters came up a day after Union minister and BJP Amethi candidate Smriti Irani took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Vadra claiming she worked more for the constituency in five years than Rahul did in 15.
“Jijaji ki nazar hain, saale sahab kya karenge. (brother-in-law is eyeing the seat, what will he (Mr Gandhi) do?) There was a time when people travelling in buses would leave their handkerchief to mark their seat so that no one sits on it,” Smriti Irani said during a public gathering.
Read Here | Robert Vadra: 5 things about Priyanka Gandhi's husband amid Amethi poll buzz
She added, “Rahul Gandhi will also come to mark his seat with a handkerchief because his brother-in-law is eyeing this seat.”
“Has this ever happened? Just 27 days left for election, but Congress has not announced its candidate. Such arrogance. What I could do in five years, Rahul Gandhi could not do in 15,” Irani said.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Smriti Irani contested against Rahul Gandhi for the Amethi seat. Despite being a stronghold of the Congress for 15 years, Irani emerged victorious over Gandhi. Amethi is scheduled to vote in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 20.
Speaking to reporters on April 15, Vadra said, “I have stayed away from politics, but different political parties wanted to pull me into politics and used tactics to trouble me for being connected to the Gandhi family. I have always been treated as a political tool and a soft target or hard target whenever there is an election… The country wants me to be in active politics. If the Congress party feels that I can bring a change, I will come into active politics. It is not necessary that I will contest from Amethi. People from Moradabad and Haryana are also requesting me to contest from their constituency.”
