Rahul Gandhi has cheated people of Amethi: Smriti Irani

LUCKNOW: HRD minister Smriti Irani wrapped up her two-day visit to Amethi on Sunday highlighting the lack of development in Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha constituency. Irani had unsuccessfully contested against Gandhi in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Questioning Gandhi’s work and commitment to his constituents, she said that the Centre has passed a proposal for the National Skill Development Mission to train five boys and girls from each of the 980 villages in the Amethi constituency. Irani alleged that Amethi had suffered due to the ‘neglect’ of Gandhi. Projects were announced for the region by the previous Congress government at the Centre but few were actually established. “How can you (Rahul) claim to be a family member and then cheat your own people,” she asked.

Answering a media query regarding Gandhi’s remarks that the Pathankot attacks were mishandled by the Modi government, Irani said, “with all due respect, Rahul Gandhi is no expert on such things. He is a Lok Sabha MP and in that capacity whatever he says is given appropriate weightage. Let me also say that on issues of national importance all political parties are one.” She said that Gandhi’s silence on the Malda riots was an indicator of the Congress selective silence and exposed the kind politics that its leaders’ practised.

Irani who met booth-level workers and some farmers delegations said that she had received complaint of agricultural land being forcibly acquired and then being diverted for purposes other than what they were meant for. She said some farmers had complained to her that five bighas of their agricultural land was acquired many decades back for opening an inter-college but now an NGO supported by Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust had taken over it.