Smriti Irani accuses Rahul Gandhi of insulting people of Gujarat, reminds him of Amethi's needs

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New Delhi: Union Minister Smriti Irani on Monday accused Rahul Gandhi of "insulting" the people of Gujarat and claimed that the Congress will suffer what she called a "historic defeat" in the upcoming Assembly polls.

Gandhi's remarks confirm that he is not only anti-progress but also mocks the idea of a developed and empowered India, she alleged in a statement, adding that he and his party prefer vote bank politics to 'vikas' (development).

"The manner in which Rahul Gandhi has made fun of the dreams and aspirations of the people of Gujarat will lead to a historic defeat for the Congress party in the state election," said the minister for textiles and information and broadcasting.

Development is not something to be ridiculed, instead it should be welcomed but what Rahul Gandhi is doing in Gujarat is to insult the dreams and aspirations of 6.5 crore Gujaratis, she said.

Gandhi should devote time to Amethi, his Lok Sabha seat, as it needs more development works, Irani said, claiming that people of Amethi are asking for 'vikas' even as their MP goes around the nation mocking 'vikas'.

Tall Gujarati leaders like Sardar Patel and Morarji Desai were humiliated by the Nehru-Gandhi family, she alleged.

This trend continued when Narendra Modi, now prime minister, was the state's chief minister as the then UPA government "obstructed" raising of height of Narmada Dam, thus denying its benefits to lakhs of farmers, the BJP leader said.

"For decades, the Congress party and particularly the Nehru-Gandhi family, has been anti-Gujarat," she claimed.

Irani later tweeted:

Those mocking development in Gujarat may perhaps like to respond to their apathy towards the basic needs of people of Amethi. — Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) October 9, 2017

Her attack on the Congress vice-president came after he mocked the BJP's development model in Gujarat at his public meetings in the poil-bound state.

Meanwhile, a day ahead of the visit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah to Amethi, Irani arrived in the Gandhi bastion on Monday evening.

Soon after her arrival at Chowdhary Charan Singh Airport in Lucknow, she drove in a cavalcade to Amethi, from where she had unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections against Rahul.

Preparations are underway to welcome @BJP4India President @AmitShah ji & CM @myogiadityanath ji to Amethi. pic.twitter.com/FDWvbG0UrY — Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) October 9, 2017

(With PTI inputs)