Union Minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani took a jibe at the Congress over its situation in Kerala, where, despite being partners in the opposition INDIA bloc, the Communist Party of India has fielded Annie Raja against Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad.
Ms. Irani said that on one side, the Left parties are asking Rahul Gandhi to contest in Uttar Pradesh, while on the other, they hugged the Congress leader during a meeting of the INDIA alliance.
During her interaction with businessmen in Bengaluru, the Union Minister said, “The condition of the opposition is that they are fighting in Wayanad. Left parties are asking, “Why does Rahul Gandhi not go to Uttar Pradesh and contest? But when the same Left goes to Delhi for an INDI Alliance meeting, they hug Rahul Gandhi.””
Taking a swipe at the situation, she said, “Yesterday I said in Kerala, ‘Delhi mein hugging, Kerala mein begging.’ The situation through which the Congress is going in Karnataka is, ‘Delhi mein hugging, Kerala mein begging, Karnataka mein thugging.”
Annie Raja on April 3 filed her nomination for Lok Sabha elections from Wayanad. The CPI is a partner of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front in Kerala. While the CPI and the Congress are partners in the opposition INDIA bloc, the two parties are fierce contenders in Kerala with both parties pitting their strongest candidates against each other.
The BJP which is leaving no stone unturned to establish its complete dominance in the 2024 elections, has fielded Kerala State President K. Surendran as a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate from the constituency.
(With inputs from ANI)
