‘BJP’s Chanakya not sure how to respond’: Congress says not only Rae Bareli-Amethi, entire India is Gandhis’ stronghold

Amethi-Rae Bareli: Congress, responding to the reaction on Rahul Gandhi’s nomination from Rae Bareli and KL Sharma’s from Amethi, said that BJP’s “self-proclaimed Chanakya” – Amit Shah – is now stumped. It also said that it is not only Amethi-Rae Bareli, but the entire country is the stronghold of the Gandhi family. The party also asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi never contested election from a single seat below the Vindhyas. 

Jairam Ramesh, General Secretary in-charge Communications, said that the party leadership is mindful of a larger strategy and takes its decisions after much discussion. “This single decision has befuddled the BJP, its supporters, and its sycophants. The BJP’s self-proclaimed Chanakya, who used to talk about 'paramparagat seat' is now not sure how to respond,” said Ramesh.

He said that Rae Bareli is not an “inheritance” but a “responsibility and a duty”. “As far as the Gandhi family is concerned, it is not just Amethi-Rae Bareli, the entire country from north to south is the stronghold of the Gandhi family. Rahul Gandhi has been MP thrice from Uttar Pradesh and once from Kerala. Why has the Prime Minister been unable to muster the courage to contest an election from a single seat below the Vindhyas?” he asked. 

Speaking on Priyanka Gandhi’s decision to not contest, Jairam Ramesh said that she is “single-handedly silencing Narendra Modi’s lies”. “The way she responded to the canards that the PM was spreading on the abolition of estate duty in March 1985 was a stinging rebuke,” he said, adding that’s why it is important for her to campaign across the country and not just limit herself to a constituency. 

In a stinging critique, the Congress leader said that Smriti Irani’s only identity is that she contests elections from Amethi against Rahul Gandhi. “Now, her political relevance is over. Instead of making meaningless statements, Smriti Irani will now have to answer about local development: closed hospitals, steel plants and IIITs,” he said.

Likening politics to a game of chess, Ramesh said that it is a long election and some moves are yet to be played. “Let’s wait for a bit,” he said.

AMETHI-RAE BARELI SEATS

On Friday, Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination papers from Rae Bareli, barely an hour before nominations closed, putting to rest all the speculations. Early morning, Congress announced that Gandhi would contest from Rae Bareli, the seat held by Sonia Gandhi for the last two decades, instead of Amethi. 

Rahul Gandhi had lost from Amethi to Smriti Irani in the 2019 elections but had won from Wayanad in Kerala, a seat he is contesting this time too. 

Meanwhile, Congress fielded Kishori Lal Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, from Amethi. 

Smriti Irani, MP from Amethi and Union Minister, said that Rahul Gandhi not fighting from Amethi indicates that the Congress party has already conceded defeat even before a single vote was cast. "Had they felt that there was any scope of victory on the seat, they would have contested from here and not fielded their proxy," she said.