Rahul Gandhi Ashamed Of IUML Support, Hence Its Flags Absent In Roadshow: Union Minister Irani

WAYANAD: Union Minister Smriti Irani on Thursday lashed out at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi by accusing him of being "ashamed" of party ally IUML as its flag was not shown during his roadshow in this hill district. Irani, who was campaigning for the BJP in the hill constituency where Gandhi is seeking a re-election, said if he was ashamed of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), he should reject their support. The Union Minister for Women and Child Development, who had defeated Gandhi in Amethi in the 2019 general elections, also accused Gandhi of being silent with regard to the alleged misgovernance by the Left front in Kerala. 

"Scams in cooperative banks in Kerala, mismanagement of state funds, the silence of Rahul Gandhi on these issues, especially the misgovernance of the INDI alliance partner -- the Left front -- speaks volumes. Rahul Gandhi would rather have power than have good governance," she alleged. Speaking to reporters after the filing of BJP state chief K Surendran's nomination from the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, she said she was shocked that Gandhi had allegedly accepted support of Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political arm of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI). 

"By accepting their support, he (Gandhi) has also violated the oath to the Constitution taken during the filing of the nomination," she said while On the flag issue, the Union Minister said it was "foolhardy" to try and hide these things from the people "in the age of not only media, but digital media and social media revolution". She alleged that Gandhi creates animosity against the Sanatan Dharma when he does politics in southern India and questioned why he goes to every temple of repute in northern India during election campaigning. 

Irani also said that if Gandhi was fighting to protect the Constitution and democracy, as claimed by him a day ago here after filing his nomination, "why is he taking the support of a banned terrorist organisation's political leadership to fight in his own constituency?" "The BJP-led government at the Centre has banned the PFI. The question is why Rahul Gandhi is not coming out strongly against the banned outfit PFI and why is he still courting its political leadership?" she asked. Referring to Gandhi's statement a day ago that Wayanad was his family, the Union Minister said that the Gandhi family had referred to Amethi constituency in Uttar Pradesh as their family for 50 years. 

"Who changes their family? Who runs away from their family? The Gandhis do. They have deceived the people of Amethi and now they hope to deceive the people of Wayanad," she said Irani also said that Wayanad was not the first choice for Gandhi in the 2019 LS polls, "it was a compulsion for him". "Whether Wayanad is his last destination is something that he has to clarify," she added. 

The Union Minister also hit out at the INDIA bloc claiming that it lacks a Prime Ministerial candidate and asked whether Gandhi was an acceptable choice for that position. "So, it is an alliance which does not have a 'neta' (leader), does not have 'niti' and its 'niyat' (intention) is to loot which is known by every citizen of India," she said. Irani also claimed that the INDIA bloc was "shattered" as allies -- Congress and the Left -- were at battle with each other in the Wayanad LS constituency as well as the state as a whole. On the issue of the INDIA bloc partners competing against each other in Wayanad, she said, "There is hugging in Delhi and begging in Kerala which needs to be explained." 

She said there was no animosity between the alliance partners of the bloc when they came together for a rally in the national capital, but when it comes to the seat of Wayanad, there is a competition between them. "If the alliance was intact, would they have separate candidates in Wayanad? If the alliance is a non-starter to begin with, can then the Congress claim any kind of victory -- electoral or moral -- with regard to its leadership and the alliance?" she asked. When reporters asked her about the purportedly objectionable remarks allegedly made by Haryana Congress leader Randeep Surjewala against actor-turned-politician Hema Malini that came to light recently, Irani claimed that such statements were made "on the directives given by the Gandhi family". 

"The misogyny of the Congress party and its leaders, especially against women in politics, is based on Gandhi's directives. "No Congress man or woman has the audacity to enrage or outrage the modesty of a woman, unless they feel that they will be deeply and duly rewarded by the Gandhi family," she said. The Union Minister said that the people of the actor's constituency -- Mathura -- would give a resounding reply to the misogynistic remarks made against her. Irani further said, "The question is, is this the shakti that Rahul Gandhi said he will destroy? Harming reputation of women, character assassination of women politicians, is this the politics of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra?" 

The Union Minister had accompanied Surendran in a huge roadshow held by him to the Wayanad District Collector's office to submit his nomination. Addressing the hundreds gathered to see the BJP leaders, she referred to the "sacrifices made by the BJP karyakarta (worker) martyrs in Kerala" and dedicated the roadshow to them. She also challenged Gandhi to reject the votes offered by the SDPI and dared him to take the name of Lord Ram. Irani also said that there was no development in Amethi for over 50 years when the Gandhi's ruled there and things changed for the better only when the BJP won there. Congress sitting MP Rahul Gandhi, CPI leader Annie Raja and BJP state chief K Surendran are facing off against each other in the Wayanad LS seat. The LS elections will be held in Kerala on April 26 and the results will be declared on June 4.