Smriti Irani, Union Minister and BJP MP, criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during a BJP rally in Karnataka. Irani, who is contesting against Gandhi in the Wayanad constituency, took a jibe at the Congress for being challenged by its ally CPI in Kerala. The Communist Party has fielded its general secretary Annie Raja from Wayanad against Rahul Gandhi, making it a three-way battle.
Irani, during her interaction with businessmen, said, “The condition of the Opposition is that they are fighting in Wayanad. Left parties are saying that why doesn’t Rahul Gandhi go to Uttar Pradesh and contest. But when the same Left goes to Delhi for an INDI Alliance meeting, they hug Rahul Gandhi.”
She further added, “Yesterday, I said in Kerala, ‘Delhi mein hugging, Kerala mein begging.’ The situation through which the Congress is going through in Karnataka, ‘it is Delhi mein hugging, Kerala mein begging, Karnataka mein thugging’…”
Meanwhile, Annie Raja filed her nomination for Lok Sabha elections from Wayanad on Wednesday. The CPI is a partner of the Left Democratic Front in Kerala, while the CPI and Congress are partners in the opposition INDIA bloc. However, the two parties are fierce contenders in Kerala, with both parties pitting their strongest candidates against each other.
The uncertainty in Amethi
Irani’s jibe at Rahul Gandhi comes even as the Congress was yet to decide its candidate from the Amethi seat in Uttar Pradesh, which used to be a stronghold for the grand old party. Rahul Gandhi held the Amethi seat before Smriti Irani dethroned him by a significant margin in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Priyanka Gandhi’s husband and businessman Robert Vadra hinted at entering politics and being the face of the Congress from the Amethi seat earlier this week. He said, “They want a member of the Gandhi family returns, they will ensure the person’s victory with a huge margin, they also expect that if I take my first step in politics, and think of becoming an MP, then I should represent Amethi.”
