The drubbing in the last general elections in Amethi notwithstanding, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi does not seem to have severed his ties with the locals as he despatched a dozen trucks of foodgrains and other essentials, including safety kits, to his erstwhile political citadel at times of coronavirus spread.
Congress Legislative Party Leader (CLP) in UP Legislative Council, Deepak Singh said that the Congress honcho was concerned about the problems faced by Amethi residents due to the lockdown.
Rahul despatched five trucks of rice, five trucks of flour, one truck of pulses and a truck loaded with oil, spices etc on Thursday and these will be distributed along with a safety kit comprising of masks, sanitiser and soap.
“These commodities will be packed and given to 16,400 people spread across 877 gram panchayats of Amethi,” the Congress MLC said.
Singh claimed that in early April, Rahul had sent 12,000 sanitisers, 20,000 face masks and 10,000 soaps for the residents of Amethi, reminding them that their well-being meant a lot to him. “Besides, the Gandhi had also sent five trucks of wheat and rice for distribution among the local residents in the same week,” he said .
Extending help to residents of Amethi during the national health emergency emerged as a bone of contention between sitting Bharatiya Janata Party MP Smriti Irani and outgoing MP Rahul Gandhi, in the first week of April.
Sharing a news article on its Twitter handle, the Congress alleged that while MP from Amethi Smriti Irani was playing ‘antakshari’, Rahul Gandhi was fulfilling his responsibility towards Amethi residents by sending relief material.
Stung by the attack, Irani tweeted asking why would Rahul want lives to be saved?
She tweeted, “How would Rahul do his politics if the people survived? If he wished to know how Amethi was, he could ask Pradeep Singhal. I spoke to him (Singhal) about how to focus on development here keeping aside politics. You didn’t get the message, perhaps.”
Rahul represented Amethi, a Congress bastion, for three successive terms before losing to Irani in 2019 Lok Sabha polls.