Irani distributed shoes to insult him: Priyanka

Amethi (UP), April 22

Dubbing BJP’s Amethi candidate Smriti Irani as an “outsider”, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday accused her of distributing shoes to insult Rahul Gandhi and said the people in the Congress chief’s Lok Sabha constituency were not beggars.

Interacting with the voters in this key parliamentary constituency, the Congress general secretary incharge of eastern Uttar Pradesh said, “The people of Amethi and Rae Bareli have self-respect and they do not beg from anyone. If anyone has to beg, it is them (BJP), who will beg for your votes,” a visibly agitated Priyanka told the voters in the presence of reporters at a “nukkad sabha”. She also slammed “outsider” Irani for distributing shoes in Amethi.

“She (Irani) thinks she can insult Rahul by doing this,” Priyanka said, adding that the Union minister was in fact insulting the people of Amethi.

“The people of Amethi are very sensible. You all know who was going to open a food park in Amethi and the fact that it has not been opened till now. The food park would have benefitted five lakh farmers in Amethi and Rae Bareli,” she said.

Union Textiles Minister Irani had lost against Rahul from Amethi in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Five years later, she is again hoping to breach the Gandhi family bastion. — PTI

Notice to minister

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to Union Minister Smriti Irani that pertains to two cross defamation complaints filed by Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam and the BJP leader against each other. The Delhi High Court had quashed the summons issued to Irani in a defamation complaint filedby Nirupam. The High Court had, however, dismissed a similar plea of Nirupam seeking to set aside the summons in a crossdefamation complaint filed by Irani.