Union Minister and BJP's candidate from Amethi, Smriti Irani, on April 12 accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the Congress of neglecting the development of Amethi.
"The government at the Centre was of his 'mataji' (mother, Sonia Gandhi) and that in U.P. had their support. But Rahul Gandhi never thought about the development of Amethi," said Ms. Irani, while speaking with the people from the Yadav community at her residence in Amethi.
Continuing her attack against Rahul Gandhi, the BJP leader said when a minister from Karnataka asked him why he was contesting elections from Wayanad, he replied that the people of Wayanad are more loyal.
"I want to ask, are the people of the area from where he was MP for 15 years not loyal? Are they traitors?" she asked.
Ms. Irani defeated Rahul Gandhi in Amethi in the 2019 polls. The Congress party is yet to announce its candidate for the 2024 Lok Sabha election from the seat.
Also read | Robert Vadra keen to fight Lok Sabha election from Amethi
She said the that Gandhi family, especially Rahul Gandhi, wanted the people of Amethi to remain poor. That is why they cannot digest it when a poor man's son becomes the prime servant of India.
"Neither the Congress nor the Gandhi family is able to accept Narendra Modi, who faced poverty, becoming the 'pradhan sevak' (prime servant) of the country with the blessings of all of you on the strength of his hard work, dedication and honesty," the Amethi MP said.
Ms. Irani said if we look at Rahul Gandhi's 15 years versus her five years as MP, everything is visible as to how the Gandhi family neglected Amethi.
"What they (Congress) did not do in 50 years and what Rahul Gandhi did not do in 15 years, the double engine government has done in Amethi in five years," she added.
