Following extensive discussions, Congress has revealed its hand for the traditional Amethi and Rae Bareli parliamentary seats. The party has fielded Kishori Lal Sharma from Amethi and Rahul Gandhi from Rae Bareli. The BJP has wasted no time in targeting the entire Congress party over Rahul Gandhi's decision not to contest from Amethi. Current MP and BJP candidate Smriti Irani has criticized the Gandhi family for their decision, claiming that their refusal to contest in Amethi signifies Congress's acceptance of defeat before votes have even been cast.
Indeed, on Friday morning, Congress issued a list announcing its candidates for Amethi and Rae Bareli. Rahul Gandhi was declared the candidate from Rae Bareli, while K.L. Sharma was nominated for Amethi. Rahul Gandhi, who previously contested from Amethi, has had his constituency changed by the party. It is this very move that Smriti Irani, victor over Rahul in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, has aggressively condemned.
No possibility of victory here
Smriti Irani, with a quip, welcomed everyone saying, "Guests will not lack any hospitality." She indicated that the Gandhi family's decision not to contest in Amethi signals their precognitive concession to an inevitable defeat. Had there been any chance of success, she claimed, Rahul would not resort to fielding a proxy from here.
Amethi's public is questioning: Smriti Irani
In response to a query, Irani also remarked that in 2019, Amethi's citizenry renounced the Gandhi family on the political battlefield. The family's decision to bow out from the Amethi parliamentary region hints at the unmistakable progress achieved under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guidance. The transformation brought by the BJP MP in a short five years has led the people of Amethi to question why such development was absent during the five decades of Gandhi family rule, particularly their 15-year hiatus.
Anurag Thakur also casts aspersions
Prior to Smriti Irani, several BJP leaders had also taken aim at the Gandhi family for Rahul's decision to forego contesting from Amethi. Minister and BJP leader Anurag Thakur commented that while Rahul Gandhi used to say 'do not fear', now his fear of defeat is taking him everywhere, from Wayanad to Rae Bareli. At one point Robert Vadra also sought candidacy, and there was demand within Congress for Priyanka Gandhi, yet neither's name appeared on the final list. This exposes some undercurrents within the Congress, now blatantly evident to the country.
