Updated: February 17, 2021 9:00:01 am
Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday to participate in Gujarat elections “if he has the courage.”
Irani, who is among the BJP’s star activists for the upcoming local body elections in Gujarat, addressed the election rallies in Vansda and Chikhli of the Navsari district.
Referring to an alleged statement made by Rahul recently in Assam, Irani alleged that the former has stated that he would take money from all Gujarat tea traders.
“Recently someone who was a deputy from Amethi (referring to Rahul), went to Assam and said that if a small-time Gujarati merchant buys tea leaves in Assam, he will take money out of his pocket. Before, I had problems with chaiwala and now with chai. I want to tell you that if you have the courage, fight in the Gujarat elections and everything will be clear (dum hein to kabhi Gujarat se chunav ladke dikhao, chai ka chai aur pani ka pani ho jayega), ”he said.
During an election rally in Assam, Rahul, while speaking about the increase in the daily salary of tea garden workers in the state, had said: “Tea garden workers get 167 rupees and Gujarat businessmen get tea gardens integers “.
Attacking the Opposition Congress, the Union Minister said: “Those who ruled India for 60 years have not made a single toilet for poor families. It was Modiji who had built 10 million toilets in the country for poor families in India. In the next elections of the local body, before casting the votes, see the toilets of the poor families and then vote for the party that succeeded ”.
He added: “The people of Gujarat wanted to build the Statue of Unity in honor of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who had united India. The Congress party and its leader Rahul Gandhi had opposed it. It was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who appealed to the people of the country to contribute (to the project). Rahul Gandhi and his family could not digest this as their policy of removing Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel from history would be disrupted. “
Irani also criticized the Congress in Gujarat for “remaining invisible” during a crisis.
“Will you support that party that had not looked to the poor during the pandemic (Covid-19), or will you support a party whose workers put their lives at risk and worked for the good of the public? It is not new that the Gujarat Congress remains invisible during a disaster. When there was a situation similar to a flood in Gujarat, BJP workers and leaders worked for the people. At that time, the leaders of Congress were enjoying themselves in a spa ”, alleged the Minister of the Union.
Meanwhile, speaking at another rally for the Unjha Nagarpalika general elections, the Union Minister recalled the work done by Narendra Modi as Chief Minister of Gujarat and later as Prime Minister to provide 24 * 7 electricity to millions of people living in rural areas.
Addressing a public meeting in Unjha’s Vadipara Chowk town, Irani said: “The people of Unjha have turned a glorious prime minister into prime minister of this country at a time when there were several villages and hamlets in the country that they faced darkness after sunset (due to lack of electricity) “.
Irani said Modi brought his virtues from Gujarat to Delhi and announced Swachhata Abhiyan as a yagna of the temple of democracy.
Launching another attack on Congress and Rahul, Irani said that those who visit the temples only during the elections or those who question the existence of Lord Ram in an affidavit will not be able to understand it. Only those, he added, can understand it who “carry their adorable God in their hearts” and who “sing the motto Jai Shree Ram in every corner of the country.”
Dominated by the Patidar community, Unjha Nagarpalika has 36 seats. In 2015, the party did not present a single candidate in its symbol due to the heat it was facing from the Patidar community in the wake of the upheaval in the Patidar reservation.
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