Rahul Gandhi will contest from Amethi: UP Cong chief

Asked whether Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were set to contest from Amethi and Varanasi respectively, Rai said, “Rahul Gandhi Amethi se ladenge. Aur jahaan se Priyanka Gandhi ki iccha… Agar Priyanka Gandhi ki Banaras iccha hogi toh ek ek karyakata jaan laga dega” (Rahul Gandhi will contest from Amethi and Priyanka Gandhi, wherever she wishes. If Priyanka Gandhi decides to contest from Varanasi, every (Congress) worker would go all out to support her).

Asked whether he was chosen for the state Congress chief’s post because he contested against the Prime Minister in 2019, Rai, referring to himself as “Rahul Gandhi ka sipahi” (Rahul Gandhi’s soldier), said that his appointment was the result of his “continuous struggle.”

“Lagataar sangharsh karne ka natija, jail kisne kata, rasuka kisne jhela, kaun inko har mudde par expose karta rehta hai, woh Ajay Rai, Rahul Gandhi ka sipahi, Rahul Gandhi ka karyakata har jagah,” said Rai (This is result of my continuous struggle… I, who was jailed, who faced NSA, who exposes them (BJP government) on several issues everywhere… This is Ajay Rai, soldier of Rahul Gandhi, worker of Rahul Gandhi).”

Rai added, “PM Modi ke khilaf jo ladayi ladi, yeh ladayi ab Chandauli se lekar Ghaziabad… poorey Uttar Pradesh mein ladenge” (The fight that was started against PM Narendra Modi, this will be now  fought from Chandauli to Ghaziabad…across the state).

Claiming that Congress workers till the village level from Chandauli in Eastern UP to Ghaziabad in West were with him to fight against BJP, Rai said that the biggest issue against the ruling party is that an “atmosphere of fear” is being developed.

“They (BJP) are instilling fear among people… using central agencies such as the ED and the CBI. In response, our leader Rahul Gandhi gave a clear message – from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. We are going to spread this message of Rahul Gandhi and that of the Congress in every village, every household,” claimed Rai.

During his first visit to Uttar Pradesh after being named as his party’s state unit president, Rai, later in the day also visited Ghazipur, claiming to pay respect to the land of “martyrs”. He also targeted the BJP’s alliance partner, Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party Chief Om Prakash Rajbhar.

Claiming that the party is prepared to fight the BJP at every level in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Rai said the poll bugle has been sounded from Varanasi, the “land of Mahadev.”