Union Minister and BJP MP Smriti Irani challenged Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday to “get money” out of the pockets of Gujarat’s small tea traders and contest state elections if he has “guts. “.
He also alleged that Congress’s “hatred and prejudice” towards Gujarat and its people was not new, “as Rahul Gandhi and his party had opposed the proposal to build the Statue of Unity in memory of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat ”.
Irani was referring to comments made by the former head of Congress at an election rally in Assam in which he spoke about increasing the daily wage of tea workers by making the owners of Gujarat’s tea gardens pay, if his party wins. power in that state.
“Rahul Gandhi recently said at a rally in Assam that he will take money out of the pockets of Gujarat’s small tea traders. Previously, they (Congress) had problems with the tea vendor (Prime Minister Narendra Modi), and now they have problems with those who drink tea, ”Irani said at a public rally for the upcoming elections to local bodies held at the town of Vansda in the Navsari district.
“I want to challenge Rahul Gandhi to taste (‘azma lo’) Gujarat if he has the guts. I also challenge you to contest the Gujarat polls. That will clear up all your misconceptions, “said the Minister of Textiles and Development of Women and Children. Rahul Gandhi had said that Congress will increase the daily wages of tea garden workers if they vote for power in Asasam.
“Assam tea garden workers get Rs 167 per day, while Gujarat merchants get tea gardens. Congress will put Rs 365 as a daily wage in the pockets of tea garden workers. Now they will ask me where will the money come from? … It will come from the Gujarat merchants, ”he had said.
Irani said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the people of Gujarat had come up with the idea to build a large monument dedicated to Sardar Patel. “However, Rahul Gandhi and his family opposed this proposal, as their entire policy has always been to erase Sardar Patel’s name from the pages of history,” Irani said.
She claimed that when people are donating iron items to build the Patel statue, “I thought the leaders of Congress would avoid that prejudice and join this movement.” “But they couldn’t get that hatred and prejudice towards Gujarat and Gujaratis out of their minds. According to the instructions of Rahul and his mother (Sonia Gandhi), the opposition party disrespected the Statue of Unity ”, alleged the BJP deputy.
Elections to six municipal corporations in Gujarat will be held on February 21. Voting for 81 municipalities, 31 district panchayats and 231 taluka panchayats is scheduled for February 28.
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