Union Human Resource Development Minister, Smriti Irani made a frontal attack on Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, claiming that the local Member of Parliament was ‘missing in action’, in his own Parliamentary constituency Amethi.
Addressing a ‘Kisan Sammelan’ (farmers meeting) during her visit to Amethi on Tuesday, Irani said when the farmers of the area were facing miseries, the Congress scion was away on a two-month-long rest and did not care for his voters. “I am happy that (he is) following my footsteps, people of Amethi could see their MP,” she said, in a pointed reference to Rahul Gandhi announcing a two-day visit to the constituency from May 18. When reporters asked her about the timing of the visit, she said she had announced it much earlier and “his timing is suspect, not mine.”
Replying to charges of Congress local MP on the Narendra Modi government scrapping the mega food park in the constituency, Irani said when the Congress was in the government they did nothing for the project. ``Why when Congress was in power, Rahul took up the matter and got the project started instead of now making baseless allegations’, she asserted. Irani further alleged that Rahul Gandhi was lobbying for corporate houses. “Even after eight extensions, the company did not go ahead with construction,” she added. land was acquired for the project in 2010 though the state government refused to give any subsidy, Irani claimed. The Union Minister also said she would visit Amethi a second time towards the end of this month to meet farmers and declare some more facilities for them.
Meanwhile, a scuffle broke out between BJP and Congress workers in Jais area of Amethi during the visit of Irani on Tuesday. Timely intervention of police saved the situation while both the groups raised slogans against each other. Earlier, Irani, during her address at the kisan sammelans, announced that the Centre has
approved that farmers will be eligible for input subsidy if 33 per cent or more of their crop is damaged. She also handed over compensation cheques to the family of a deceased. Irani also launched a pro-farmer campaign in Amethi and met with farmers affected by untimely rains. The visit of Irani comes just a week ahead of the scheduled visit of the local MP and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi o1n May 18-19.
Irani, along with Union minister of state for agriculture Sanjeev Baliyan, reached Amethi at around 9:30 am on Tuesday morning from lucknow and directly went to the villages to hear to the farmers woes. She went to Fatehpur Raja village in Tiloi to meet the family of a farmer who died recently due to depression after massive crop loss. later, the Union HRD minister and Mr Baliyan addressed a couple of Kisan sammelans, highlighting the efforts of the Narendra Modi government to benefit the farmers.
They also advocated for the amended land Acquisition Act, saying that it would benefit the farmers and the Opposition were just trying to confuse them. The BJP leaders were given a warm welcome by the party workers at Chilauli, Inhauna and Raja Fatehpur areas on their arrival. The Union ministers addressed four kisan sammelans and met the party workers before ending the day-long visit to Amethi.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party leader and state Mining Minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati has also jumped into the political battle by announcing to distribute tri-cycles to the handicapped persons in Amethi on Tuesday. The state Mining Minister against whom the state lokayukta has received complaints of disproportionate assets, is likely to distribute