Gandhi family targets BJP at its twin bastions

Campaigning for Rahul in Amethi and Sonia in Rae Bareli, AICC general secretary in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi, said BJP candidate in Amethi, Smriti Irani, distributed shoes to “insult the people”. In Rae Bareli, she claimed that BJP candidate, Dinesh Singh, who was with the Congress earlier once fell on her feet calling her “Didi”.

In Sultanpur, without naming Maneka Gandhi, Rahul spoke about Nyaya scheme promised by the Congress in its manifesto and claimed that it would highlight the theft done by “Chowkidar”.

“Main desh ko batana chahta hun ki chowidar ne aapse kitni chori ki hai..Usne lakhon croron rupey 15 logon ko diya (I want to tell the nation about how much the chowkidar stole from you… He gave crores of rupees to 15 people),” said Rahul Gandhi. He said that on one side while debts of selected people that amount to crores of rupees are being waived but farmers are being put behind bars over meagre loans.

Earlier in the day, Priyanka addressed a “nukkad meeting” in Fursatganj along with mother Sonia and attacked BJP candidate Smriti Irani, calling her an “outsider”. She said “outsiders” have come during election in Amethi and are spreading false stories about Rahul Gandhi not visiting his constituency.

Accusing Irani of distributing shoes to people in Amethi in order to insult Rahul Gandhi, she said the people in the Congress chief’s Lok Sabha constituency are not beggars. “…if anyone has to beg, it is them (BJP), who will beg for your votes,” a visibly agitated Priyanka told the voters in the presence of reporters at a “nukkad sabha”. “She (Irani) thinks she can insult Rahul Gandhi by doing this,” Priyanka said, adding that the Union minister was in fact insulting the people of Amethi.

“The people of Amethi are very sensible. You all know who was going to open a food park in Amethi and the fact that it has not been opened till now. The food park would have benefitted five lakh farmers in Amethi and Rae Bareli,” she said.

Reacting to the Congress leader’s remarks, actor-turned-politician Irani said, “I have been an actor and it would be better if Priyanka Gandhi does not stage a drama.” Irani, who had lost to Rahul Gandhi in Amethi in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, is again hoping to breach the Gandhi family bastion five years later.

Priyanka also raised the issue of “stray cattle” in the state and said that she is seeing pain and suffering everywhere.

Rahul again challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a debate on corruption, while Priyanka said that the PM hasn’t visited a single village in Varanasi. Priyanka said, “You (public) must have seen that former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had gone to various villages of Amethi. You should ask your elders and perhaps there was none whom he had not met.”

“At the same time, what is the situation in Varanasi? Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not gone to even a single village in his constituency in the past five years to inquire about the well-being of the people. Your (Uttar Pradesh) Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath gets the hands and faces of Dalits washed before entering a village inhabited by poor people,” she said.

Later in the day, addressing a public meeting in Rae Bareli, parliamentary constituency of her mother, Priyanka said that the BJP candidate from the seat who was earlier with the Congress had fell on her feet once. Referring to Rae Bareli as the “karma bhumi” of her “daadi” (grandmother Indira Gandhi), Priyanka said, “Jo BJP ke umeedwar hain, jo is baar chunao mein khare hain inhe mein achi tarah se janti hun.. Main hi hun jinke pair pakarkar inhone kaha tha didi aap meri behan hain. Jaan chali jayegi lekin mein apka saath nahi chorunga (I know the BJP candidate very well. He fell on my feet once calling me his sister and said he would die but would not leave me).”

He said this when he was with the Congress and within next few days he joined the BJP, she said.

Speaking at Amwa village, Priyanka said, “The people of this region have seen politics and they understand that service and dedication are its main aim. Sonia Gandhi is your MP and you have seen the development works she has done for this region. She has done it not as a favour, but as her duty.”

Accusing the BJP of spreading lies, she alleged that for the leaders of the ruling party, the public is not important, but “ministerial posts, industrialists and power are”.