'An ordinary BJP worker sent Gandhi family packing': Smriti Irani takes dig at Rahul Gandhi

Smriti Irani said it was a matter of pride for her that "an ordinary BJP worker had sent the Gandhi family packing" while speaking about the Congress decision of not fielding Rahul Gandhi against her in Amethi.

The Union Minister of Women and Child Development in an interview with NDTV said this is a sign of Congress conceding the 79th out of Uttar Pradesh's 80 Lok Sabha seats to BJP and that her party managing a clean sweep in the state is a possibility. 

Raebareli was the only seat that Congress won in Uttar Pradesh in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Speaking about Kishori Lal Sharma, a Gandhi family loyalist and Congress claiming that it was giving a chance to a grassroots worker, the Women And Child Development minister said people know when they are being "hoodwinked".

"This is not the first time Rahul Gandhi has run away from Amethi. He had run away in 2019 as well. The only difference is last time he sought comfort in Wayanad and this time he chose not to contest at all. So it is the second time Gandhi shied away from a battle in Amethi," she said. 

"I think you give him too much importance... I have done much in life. I don't need a Rahul Gandhi chase to make my career or my name," the Union minister said when asked if she would have liked to challenge Rahul in Amethi. "And by the way, I have done it without having a politician who is a father to me and the 'karta dharta' (prime mover) of an entire political organisation."

If the Gandhis were confident, former Congress President Sonia Gandhi would not have given up the constituency, the minister added.

She insisted Congress will not be able to do well in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

On whether 80 on 80 is achievable in Uttar Pradesh, the Union minister said, "Today is a great indicator of what is available in terms of political realities vis a vis the Congress Party. It is the Congress party that has concluded that if any member of the Gandhi family fights Amethi, they will lose. It is not a conclusion by the BJP."

"Remember this they are the first family of Indian politics. And I'm just an ordinary BJP worker. That an ordinary BJP worker could send them packing away speaks volumes about what awaits them on the fourth of June," Irani added.