LUCKNOW: BJP MP from Amethi, Smriti Irani on Monday dared Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to contest from her constituency, sharpening the potential square off between the two leaders in the run up to the high-stakes Lok Sabha elections due soon.
“He left Amethi in 2019, and now Amethi has left him. If he is confident, then he should contest from this seat without going to Wayanad (Kerala). Let him contest from Amethi,” Irani charged, while talking to reporters. On Monday, Rahul led the Congress’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra into Amethi even as the political spotlight moved to Congress’s fresh bid to wrest back its erstwhile pocket borough.
Rahul’s emergence in Amethi comes amid whirling speculations about Congress fielding him once again from the constituency he lost to Irani by a margin of 55,000 votes in 2019. Irani, who was taking part in a gram chaupal campaign, took potshots at Rahul saying that only empty roads of the district welcome Rahul.
Irani is on a four-day tour to her constituency where she is scheduled to organise the grah pravesh of her newly constructed house in Gauriganj. While Irani’s candidature is considered almost final, Congress remains unsure of fielding Rahul from the seat.
Earlier, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had maintained that Congress central election committee will decide on who will contest from Amethi. He said that Rahul has been an MP from the constituency thrice. “It is a very important constituency for the Congress,” Ramesh said.