NEW DELHI: The Congress Friday hit back at Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for his jibe at Priyanka Gandhi Vadra not contesting from Varanasi, saying it shows that the BJP was scared over the possibility of her being fielded from the temple town in Uttar Pradesh.
The Congress on Thursday fielded Ajay Rai from Varanasi to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ending speculation on a possible blockbuster electoral duel between Priyanka Gandhi and Modi.
"The finance minister is angry, the prime minister is dejected. He expressed his desperation today. This atmosphere of dejection is prevailing in the BJP," Congress spokesperson Rajeev Shukla said.
On Jaitley's remarks, he said it shows that they were "very scared that what if she comes".
"If you remember she had made it clear from the first day that she wants to fight from Varanasi, but that the decision will be taken by the Congress president. It was the decision of the party high command and the Congress president," Shukla said.
Taking a swipe at the Congress' decision of not fielding Priyanka Gandhi from Varanasi, Jaitley, in a Facebook post, said on Thursday, "Obviously, she quietly chickened out of the contest. I am deeply disappointed with the Congress party's decision of not fielding Priyanka from Varanasi".
Asked if the Congress general secretary will contest elections from any other constituency in the future, Shukla said she is currently working hard to strengthen the party in Uttar Pradesh.
"She is touring everyday, campaigning, doing road shows, addressing public meetings, meeting workers and meeting the people. Right now, she is focused on UP and after that in future what happens, we should wait for that," he added.