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JNU incident: In Amethi, Smriti Irani hits out at Cong, Left parties
Union minister for textiles and women and child development Smriti Irani claimed on Monday that Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s decision to meet
Union minister for textiles and women and child development Smriti Irani claimed on Monday that Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s decision to meet those injured in the Sunday night attack on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus in New Delhi may have been inspired by ‘internal politics’ of the Congress.
“Rumours that Rahul Gandhi could be back again as the Congress chief are rife and it’s obvious that those who want a special post for themselves in the party may engage in some ‘headline chasing’. Priyanka seems to be one among them. But then this is the Congress party’s internal matter and I don’t want to comment much on this,” said Irani during her visit to her Amethi Lok Sabha constituency on Monday.
Priyanka Gandhi has been very active of late, visiting those in Uttar Pradesh who were injured during protests against the citizenship law and rushing to meet the victims of the JNU attack in New Delhi.
Irani made these comments in Amethi soon after she inaugurated a programme, ‘Amethi ki Laxmi’ (Amethi’s Laxmi) under which poor girls and women would inaugurate all major functions or works in the parliamentary constituency.
Amethi used to be a Congress bastion that the BJP breached in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Asked about allegations on ABVP’s involvement in the Sunday night attack on JNU campus, Irani targeted the Congress as well as Left parties who she claimed had a history of fanning violence.
“... The record of Left parties in fanning hooliganism and goondagardi is well documented. And the manner in which a senior journalist tweeted numbers to establish who is actually behind the violence on JNU gates ... I don’t want to say much as the matter is under investigation but I assure you that the investigation would focus on minutest details to unearth the truth behind the (JNU) attack,” she said.
In 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Irani had defeated the then Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in Amethi following which Rahul quit as the party president, owing moral responsibility for the debacle.
Rahul Gandhi had also contested the Lok Sabha poll from Kerala’s Wayanad from where he won by a record margin. He has visited Amethi once since his shock loss against Smriti’s six visits since May 23, when she was declared elected as the Amethi MP.
Irani said universities shouldn’t be allowed to become ‘rajniti ka akhada’ (battlefield for politics).
“I have said it earlier and I am saying it again that students shouldn’t be made ‘a political tool’,” Smriti Irani said.
“It’s sad,” she said on the JNU violence after some masked men barged inside hostels and campus and beat up teachers and students on Sunday night.
“The matter is under investigation and hence I don’t think it would be proper for me to comment on a matter which is being probed. But I feel universities shouldn’t become a battleground for politics and students made pawn in the political game. I appeal to all not to engage in such politics in which the poor suffer for narrow political games,” she said.
The Congress hit back, saying that Irani’s comments showed that BJP’s ‘dirty tricks department’ was at work.
“Although Smritiji ‘s comments aren’t worthy of a response, still to get the record straight, let me reiterate there are videos that are clearly showing ABVP’s involvement. Smriti ji’s allegation on Congress and Left clearly underscores BJP’s game plan to divert attention from its monumental failures on all fronts. Instead of focusing on the Congress leadership, Smriti ji would do well to serve the people of Amethi who by now are used to her empty statements,” said Congress spokesman Zeeshan Haidar.
