Amethi: Congress General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh (East) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday slammed Union Minister Smriti Irani for distributing shoes to people of Amethi saying that nationalism is to solve problems of people instead of suppressing their issues.
Continue to hit out at Irani, the Congress leader said that the people of Nehru-Gandhi stronghold Amethi and Raebareli parliamentary constituencies have a lot of pride, hence, distributing freebies in front of media is wrong.
Irani had distributed shoes in some villages of Amethi constituency after she saw the local villagers walking barefoot.
“Issues are clear; they are – employment, education, women safety, and health. Nationalism is to solve the problems of people. Here they do not listen to people, when they raise their issues they suppress them, it is neither democracy nor nationalism,” Priyanka said.
“The way they contest polls by distributing money, sarees, and shoes in front of media is wrong…People of Amethi have never begged in front of anyone. I have been coming here since I was 12, people of Amethi and Raebareli have a lot of pride,” she said.
BJP has fielded Smriti Irani against Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Amethi. In 2014, Rahul had defeated Irani by a margin of over one lakh votes.
Amethi and Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh are scheduled to go to polls in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 6.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]