Smriti Irani & Priyanka Gandhi in open war of words on Rahul Gandhi's Amethi

NEW DELHI: In a fresh war of words over Amethi, Smriti Irani and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday took potshots at each other. Rallying in Amethi for her brother Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka launched a direct attack on BJP's Smriti Irani questioning her motives for contesting from Amethi.

"Smriti Irani is coming to Amethi to fight Rahul & not for the people," Priyanka alleged while addressing a gathering in Amethi. "She (Irani) contested from Chandni Chowk. Has she visited that place again?" Priyanka asked.

She also mocked at Smriti Irani saying that candidates of other parties have little knowledge of Amethi. "You (people of Amethi) understand both dramatics and the truth. You can make a distinction between the two. When you vote, remember that we are dedicated to you," Priyanka said while making a pitch for her brother.

Retaliating sharply to Priyanka's remarks, Smriti Irani asked the latter to state the number of times that Rahul Gandhi has visited Amethi in the last ten years. "You have deprived Amethi of development in the name of your family relations with the constituency. And then you condemn us," Smriti Irani said.

"If you were to compare the work that I have done in the past 2.5 years of being in the Parliament with what Rahul Gandhi has done, then you (Priyanka) will know who is doing dramatics," Irani raged.

BJP candidate Smriti Irani has time and again charged Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi with making a joke of his "family ties with Amethi" which despite being regarded as a VVIP area lacked development.

The youth here are unemployed, roads are in bad shape... and Rahul Gandhi is showing lollypops of national highways to the constituency, she has said at election meetings in Tala Khajuri, Gosainganj, Mahaajpur and Shazipur areas in Amethi.