"Tumne agar desh ko kalankit krne ke liye...": Smriti Irani attacks Rahul over SDPI support to Congress

Panna (Madhya Pradesh) [India], April 3 (ANI): Union Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday launched an attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) extended support to the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in the Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing a nomination rally in support of Madhya Pradesh BJP President and party' Khajuraho candidate VD Sharma in Panna, Smriti Irani warned the Wayanad MP and said that "If you threaten to defame the country, it will not tolerate and won't forgive you."
"Today the kind of politics I am witnessing, I have heard that today he (Rahul Gandhi) is filing nomination from Wayanad. In front of him our party president from Kerala is fighting the election. They (Congress) are now asking for support from terrorist organizations. They are these people who opposed the abrogation of Article 370A in the Parliament. These are the people who asked the soilders to present the proof of Air strikes in Balakot. Today these people threaten the country for power. I want to say this to Rahul Gandhi that 'tumne agar desh ko kalankit krne ke liye dhamkaya toh yeh desh jhelta toh nhi, lekin agar chedha jaata hai toh yeh desh chordta bhi nhi (If you threaten to defame the country, it will not tolerate and won't forgive you)," Smirti Irani said.
She further said that Congress has a habit of running away out of fear of losing.
"I am from the region where a dynasty ruled for five decades, where having Tilak on the forehead and taking the name of Lord Ram was a kind of political curse. I am from the region 'Jahan Hath Ke Sath Cycle Bhi Chalti Thi, Hath Ko Saaf Kiya Gaya Cycle Puncture Kar Di Gyi'... Congress has a habit of running away out of fear of losing, ask this to the people of Amethi," she said.
Irani further congratulated VD Sharma and other party workers for their hard work and for making BJP a household name in Madhya Pradesh.
"Arrogance is exhibited by those who are born in political families and consider power their political birthright. It is also displayed by those who inherit power as a legacy. Today, as a party worker, I congratulate you (VD Sharma) and other party workers for your hard work and for making BJP a household name in Madhya Pradesh," she added.
Earlier on Tuesday, BJP Kerala President K Surendran has asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to explain his position on the declaration by Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) to extend unconditional support to the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in the Lok Sabha elections
SDPI is widely considered to be the political outfit of the banned terrorist organisation Popular Front of India (PFI).
The Union Home Ministry had in September 2022 declared the Popular Front of India (PFI) and its affiliates an 'Unlawful Association'.
Smriti Irani will visit Wayanad to accompany NDA candidate K Surendran when he files his nomination. The state BJP president will submit his papers at the Kalpetta collectorate at 9 am on April 4.
BJP Wayanad district president Prasanth Malavayal also said that Smriti Irani, who defeated Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, will come to Wayanad and give a lot of energy to the National Democratic Alliance.
Earlier today, Congress leader and incumbent MP Rahul Gandhi submitted his nomination papers for the Wayanad parliamentary constituency in Kerala for the Lok Sabha elections, starting from April 19 in seven phases across the country.
His sister and party's general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was also present with him.
The Congress leader filed his nomination after leading a roadshow at Kalpetta in Wayanad.
"It has been an honour for me to be your member of Parliament. I don't treat you and think of you like an electorate. I treat you and think of you the same way I think of my little sister Priyanka. So in the houses of Wayanad, I have sisters, mothers, fathers and brothers. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart for that," Rahul Gandhi said while addressing the gathering.
CPI national leader and Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate Annie Raj also submitted her nomination papers today in the same constituency.
The CPI is a partner of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front in Kerala.
The BJP that is leaving no stone unturned to establish its complete dominance in the 2024 elections, has fielded Kerala State President K Surendran as a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate from the constituency.
Kerala, one of the few states where the Congress still has a strong presence, sends 20 parliamentarians to the Lok Sabha.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Rahul Gandhi won from Wayanad with a huge margin of over 4.31 lakh votes; the highest margin in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Kerala. He secured 64.94 per cent vote share defeating LDF candidate PP Suneer. The NDA had fielded BDJ(S) leader Tushar Vellapally who secured just around 78,000 votes which accounted for a mere 7.25 per cent.
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) won 19 out of 20 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. While the Congress won 15 seats, its allies Indian Union Muslim League won two seats, the Revolutionary Socialist Party won one and the Kerala Congress (M) won one seat.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) won one seat in Alappuzha.
Voting for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the South Indian state across all 20 seats is scheduled for April 26, while the counting of votes will take place on June 4. (ANI)