‘He should not fight in the name of religion’: Smriti Irani attacks Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi lost the Amethi seat to Smriti Irani in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. (document)

New Delhi:

Union minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani said if Congress leader Rahul Gandhi considers himself secular, then he should not fight in the name of religion but on issue basis.

Addressing a session at the News18 Rising Bharat Summit, Smriti Israeli said a country’s destination cannot be decided by a person who is afraid of failing at Amethi.

Amishi in Uttar Pradesh was long considered a bastion of the Gandhi family until Rahul Gandhi lost the seat to Smriti Irani in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

“This is not the first time he has spoken against my religion, Hinduism, but I believe that if he is secular, he should not be fighting in the name of religion but based on issues,” she said.

Smriti Irani said that while victory and defeat are inherent in electoral politics, true leadership is demonstrated by standing firm in one’s beliefs and principles.

The BJP leader criticized Rahul Gandhi’s alleged glorification of poverty and martyrdom and narrated her own challenging journey in Amethi and spoke of the initial lack of support.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)