Union Minister Smriti Irani on April 8 alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took the support of the outlawed outfit, the Popular Front of India (PFI), to contest the Lok Sabha election from Kerala’s Wayanad, his present seat.
“We received information that Rahul Gandhi took the support of the PFI for contesting polls in Wayanad. He should tell the people in Amethi why he is contesting with the help of such groups,” Ms. Irani alleged in Raebareli.
“Yesterday, a Congress leader declared in Wayanad that Rahul Gandhi chose the parliamentary seat as he feels that the people here [Wayanad] are more loyal. What about the loyalty of Amethi who tolerated an MP for 15 years who did nothing for them?”
Mr. Gandhi who represented Amethi for 15 years between 2004 and 2019, lost to the BJP’s Smriti Irani in the 2019 Lok Sabha poll by roughly 55,000 votes, which was considered the biggest upset of the election. The Congress, which is contesting from Amethi this election, hasn’t declared a candidate for the seat yet, amid demands from the Congress U.P. unit to announce the candidature of Mr. Gandhi from the seat.
