In a surprising gesture, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday urged everyone to not use derogatory language against his fiercest critic and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Smriti Irani. Notably, Irani, who had clinched the Amethi Lok Sabha seat after defeating Rahul Gandhi in 2019, lost to Congress candidate and a close aide of the Gandhi family Kishori Lal Sharma by 1,67,196 lakh votes in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Gandhi contested the 2024 polls from Wayanad and Rae Bareli and won both. Late, the Congress leader retained Rae Bareli and left the Wayanad constituency in Kerala which he also won in 2019.
Former Union Minister Smriti Irani has always accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the Congress of neglecting the development of Amethi. Irani defeated Rahul Gandhi in Amethi in the 2019 polls. Irani had even alleged that Rahul Gandhi has taken the support of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) to contest the Lok Sabha election from Kerala's Wayanad seat.
Rahul Gandhi on Friday in a post in X said, "Winning and losing happen in life. I urge everyone to refrain from using derogatory language and being nasty towards Smt. Smriti Irani or any other leader for that matter. Humiliating and insulting people is a sign of weakness, not strength."
She also alleged that the Gandhi family, especially Rahul Gandhi, wanted the people of Amethi to remain poor. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Irani was defeated by Rahul Gandhi.
