New Delhi/Amethi: Venturing into Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s turf at Amethi, Union minister Smriti Irani on Friday raised the Ram Mandir issue and blamed the Opposition party for ‘creating hurdle’ in the judicial process in the Ram temple case through its lawyers and said ‘Ram bhakts’ should ask the party about it
“Congress should not do politics through its lawyers on Ram temple issue, which is a matter of people’s faith. It’s leaders, as lawyers, are creating hurdles in the court. People and Ram bhakts should ask the party whether its leader wore ‘janeu’ only for polls in three states,” said Ms Irani in an apparent reference to senior Congress leader and lawyer Kapil Sibal. Mr Sibal had sought deferment of hearing of the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case until after the 2019 general election.
During a day’s visit to Amethi, Ms Irani attacked the Congress president for apparently delaying his visit to his parliamentary constituency by a few hours.
Mr Gandhi had rescheduled his visit on Thursday night. He was expected to arrive in Lucknow at 10 am on Friday but later changed the timing and will be landing in Fursatganj airstrip in the evening.
“His delay in arriving at ‘maidan-e-jang’ (battlefield) of Amethi is an indication that the person who cannot visit his constituency on time cannot give timely solutions. Jo paanch saal me ek baar aatey they, ab baar baar aana pad raha hai” (The person who used to visit his constituency once in five years is coming here again and again),” Ms Irani said.
Accusing Mr Gandhi of doing nothing for his constituency that he has been representing for the past 15 years, Ms Irani also sought to drive a wedge between the Congress leader and the local youth.
“Why was Rahul silent when Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath spoke against UP and Bihar people working in that state?” asked Ms Irani.
How will he see people eye to eye in Amethi today?,” asked the Union minister who inaugurated a computerised tomography (CT) Scan facility in a state-run hospital here.
Asked whether the Congress chief was afraid of her, Ms Irani said in a lighter vein, “bina dare chartered flight se aa rahe hain” (he is coming on a chartered flight without any fear).”
