LUCKNOW: With the ensuing Lok Sabha election approaching its halfway mark way with the impending voting for fourth phase on Monday, senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on Sunday, launched a frontal attack on Gandhis in their bastion of Rae Bareli by questioning their absence from the constituency despite securing successive electoral victories.
Addressing a poll rally in support of BJP candidate Dinesh Pratap Singh in Rae Bareli, Shah raised question on the track record of Gandhis in the constituency putting five posers to them seeking them to come clear on issues of national importance including abrogation of Art 370, law against Triple Talaq, Uniform Civil Code, two military actions by India against Pakistan in response to terror activities and rejection of the invitation for the consecration of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya.
Shah criticized the alleged lack of development in Rae Bareli despite the Gandhis being elected from there for decades. "I was listening to Behen Priyanka ji's speech, she said that she had come to Rae Bareli to ask for votes from her family. It is true, the people of Rae Bareli have made the Gandhi-Nehru family win for years. I ask them how many times have Sonia Gandhi and her family visited Rae Bareli after being elected from here? More than three dozen major accidents happened in Rae Bareli, did the Gandhi family come? During the pandemic did they come even once? Okay, Sonia ji’s health is not good, but has Rahul baba or sister Priyanka come?,” he added.
He stated: "You gave the Gandhi family a chance for years, but no development work has been done... They (Congress) do not believe in development. They do not even come to you to share sorrows and happiness." The Union Home Minister went a step further when he accused former Rae Bareli MP Sonia Gandhi of "spending more than 70 per cent of her MP funds on minorities" and the Gandhi family of being experts in lying.
He alleged that the scion (Rahul Gandhi) of Gandhi family used to reach out to the people of Rae Bareli for votes. "You have been voting for Gandhis for many years. Have you received anything from the MP fund? If you have not received it, then where did it go? It went to their vote bank. Sonia Gandhiji has spent more than 70 per cent of the MP funds on minorities."
The voting for the Raebareli constituency is scheduled in the fifth phase on May 20. In the ensuing elections, Rahul Gandhi is contesting from Rae Bareli, the seat held by his mother Sonia Gandhi for the last two decades. She recently moved to the Rajya Sabha. Rahul Gandhi has also contested from Wayanad in Kerala.
Shah also targeted the Congress party's promises, highlighting discrepancies between commitments and their fulfilment. "This Gandhi family is an expert in lying. They are now promising Rs 1 lakh for every woman. In Telangana (assembly) elections, they had said that they would give Rs 15,000 to every woman. The women of the state elected them (Congress) ... Forget about Rs 15,000, they did not even give Rs 1,500."
Asking people to vote for BJP candidate Dinesh Pratap Singh, the Home Minister said, "We will connect Raebareli with Modiji's development journey."
The Union Home Minister's remarks come amidst escalating war of words between the ruling alliance and the opposition bloc in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.
In addition to his criticism of the Congress leadership, Shah reiterated the BJP’s commitment to development and national security. After the rally, Shah visited the residence of Samajwadi Party MLA from Unchahar Manoj Pandey, who, on February 27 resigned from the post of the party’s chief
whip and cross-voted in favour of the BJP candidate in Rajya Sabha polls. He also addressed two more rallies at Pratapgarh and Kaushambi in support of BJP candidates.
In response to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's comments in Rae Bareli on Sunday, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra questioned the BJP's track record in the constituency and highlighted the developmental projects initiated by the Congress party. Interacting with media persons in Rae Bareli, Priyanka directly questioned Shah about the development work done by the BJP despite having a double engine government in the state.
"What has BJP done for Rae Bareli?" she asked, listing several initiatives undertaken by the Congress party, including the establishment of the Rail Coach Factory, AIIMS, NIFT, and the development of five national highways. Priyanka claimed, "We started AIIMS but they closed it...," challenging Shah to acknowledge the frequency of her visits to the constituency, stating, "I have come here (Rae Bareli) many times. Does he keep a list of my movements?... He should note down how many times I have come here
