Battleground Amethi: Smriti Irani takes the battle to Rahul Gandhi's home turf

Lucknow: The battle of words over the development of Amethi went a notch higher on Tuesday as Union Minister for Human Resources Development Smriti Irani visited Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s constituency and made several development-related announcements. Her visit to Amethi came amid the raging debate over the cancellation of a proposed food park there. Reports said that reacting to Irani’s visit, Rahul had said he hoped she will bring back the food park to Amethi. And in a quick retort, Irani took a jibe at Rahul saying, “This is perhaps for the first time that a sitting MP is making a request to a defeated MP candidate for development.” [caption id=“attachment_2240790” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Smriti Irani and Rahul Gandhi in a file photos. Agencies[/caption] During the day, Irani and Union Minister of State for Agriculture Sanjeev Baliyan addressed Kisan Panchayat (farmers’ gatherings) in Tiloi, Jais, Amethi and Musafirkhana, besides talking to the people in general on roadsides, and visited the house of a farmer who had died in the aftermath of crop losses in Fatehpur village. Irani also challenged Rahul to come to Amethi on 26 May when she would be visiting again, to talk about Amethi’s development. On his part, Rahul continued his tirade in Parliament against the Modi government by repeating the allegations of the government working for the rich and capitalists, he also commented on Irani’s visit to Amethi, saying that it was good and perhaps she will get the food park back to Amethi. The food park project had been approved during the previous regime more than four years ago but there had been no headway in it. While Rahul keeps alleging that the present regime has scrapped it, the Centre says the promoters did not fulfil the preconditions for the same. In her address to people in Amethi, Irani said electricity, water and roads continued to be major problems in Amethi. “Since the Congress had won the election in cooperation with the Samajwadi party, why doesn’t the Congress ask the SP government for development?” she asked. Irani’s visit was aimed at reviving the rapport she had established with the people during the campaigning for the Lok Sabha election a year ago. While the long absence of Amethi MP Rahul Gandhi was the fodder for her attacks on the Congress vice president, she made several announcements related to development activities. These included a facility for fertilizer rack unloading at Gauriganj and setting up of a Krishi Vigyan Kendra for the help of farmers. Incidentally, Rahul’s visit to Amethi has now been scheduled for 18 May, the decision was made after Irani’s plan became public. On being asked about repeated charges about Amethi being ignored, Irani said the food park had been announced during the UPA regime and no work had been initiated during that period. She then challenged Rahul Gandhi to come to Amethi on 26 May “and share the dais with me where I will pay the first premium of the insurance scheme Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Beema Yojana (PMSBY) for thousands of local people”. “He has not been elected the MP from here for the first time but has been a representative for decades. He has failed to provide any facility to the area and the Congress has only made promises, whereas Prime Minister Narendra Modi will usher in prosperity in the country,” she said, and assured farmers that the Centre will buy the damaged wheat from farmers at appropriate prices. She also met several local inhabitants and asked them about the extent of crop damage because of the recent bout of unseasonal rains and hailstorm. In a series of small meetings, Irani repeated the charge that Amethi has been under the patronage of Rahul for several terms, yet the area remains undeveloped. The present government, she said had initiated several development projects and included Amethi in the smart city list. “The Congress is levelling all sorts of allegations out of sheer frustration,” she said. Talking to the people on wayside tea stalls she said Rahul and the Congress had done nothing for Amethi in the last several decades. “Rahul has been missing from this constituency for long but I am told that his programme to visit Amethi was announced immediately after my programme was finalised. This is good, if he follows my footsteps the people of Amethi might get to see him,” she said. Baliyan said that Rahul did not have time for Amethi and its farmers. “He has not come to Amethi for the last five months despite the hardships farmers have been facing,” he said. Rahul, incidentally, has been visiting several states including Punjab, Maharashtra and Telangana, but has not visited Amethi. A handful of protesters waving NSUI and Congress banners waved black flags as Irani and Baliyan’s motorcade passed through streets in Amethi. The police chased them away and they later shouted slogans against the BJP and burnt an effigy. In the last Lok Sabha election Irani had scored nearly 3 lakh votes and lost narrowly to Rahul. She has also visited Amethi a few weeks after the election result to offer relief to victims of a village fire in Baraulia.