'Arey daro mat, bhaago mat': PM Modi takes a jibe at Rahul Gandhi for contesting from Rae Bareli
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New Delhi, May 3: In a scathing address during a rally in West Bengal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ridiculed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after he decided to file his Lok Sabha nomination from Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh. PM Modi said Gandhi's move was made due to fear of defeat in Kerala's Wayanad and challenged him to confront the BJP in Amethi without "running or being scared".
Referring to the Congress leader's candidacy in Wayanad, PM Modi accused him of seeking a safe seat for himself.
"I had said that Shehzada will lose the election in Wayanad. In fear of losing the seat, he will look for another seat to contest the election. His party leaders were saying that he would come to Amethi. But he got so scared that he ran away from Amethi and is trying to find a way out in Rae Bareli. People like these tell people ‘daro mat (don’t be scared)’. Today I also tell him with all my heart ‘arey daro mat, bhago mat (don’t be scared and don’t run away)".
Additionally, PM Modi slammed Sonia Gandhi for giving up the Raebareli seat and securing a safe position in the Rajya Sabha.
"I had already said in the Parliament that their (Congress) biggest leader will not dare to fight elections and she will run away. She ran away to Rajasthan and came to the Rajya Sabha".
PM Modi was not the only one who criticised Rahul Gandhi for contesting from Rae Bareli instead of Amethi. Sitting MP from Amethi Smriti Irani also attacked the Gandhi family. She said that the people of Amethi abandoned the Gandhi family in 2019 as the Gandhi scion was missing from the constituency for 15 years and there was no development.
She said that a lot of development has taken place in the Lok Sabha constituency ever since she was elected. Irani added:
"In Rae Bareli too, the Gandhi family did not serve. The people of Rae Bareli know that the people of Amethi had sidelined them."
In the 2019 general elections, Rahul Gandhi was defeated by Smriti Irani by a margin of more than 55,000 votes, earning Irani the moniker 'giant killer'. Before this, Gandhi had represented the constituency for three straight terms-- 2004-2009, 2009-2014, and 2014-2019.
Earlier today, the Congress party announced that Rahul Gandhi will be its candidate from Raebareli, a constituency long held by his mother, Sonia Gandhi, for four consecutive terms. This announcement, made on the final day for nomination filing, marks a strategic shift in the party's electoral lineup.