Reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s candidature from Raebareli, former Congress Acharya Pramod Krishnam levelled a big allegation against the Gandhi family and Congress party. He said Rahul Gandhi intentionally did not let Priyanka Gandhi Vadra contest the Raebareli Lok Sabha seat. He claimed that Priyanka Gandhi had fallen victim to the conspiracy.
The Congress revealed its candidate for the Raebareli and Amethi seats on Friday. While Rahul Gandhi was nominated to contest the Raebareli seat, KL Sharma was chosen to fight for the Amethi seat.
“I had already said that Rahul Gandhi will not let Priyanka Gandhi Vadra contest elections... There is a huge conspiracy in the family and the party against Priyanka Gandhi. She is the victim of a conspiracy in the family and the party... Rahul Gandhi should have contested from Varanasi against PM Modi if he did not want to contest from Amethi,” he told ANI.
However, according to Congress insiders, it was Priyanka Gandhi who turned to the party's request to contest the Raebareli seat.
The decision, long-awaited by the party supporters, was announced today. Gandhi will face off against BJP’s Dinesh Pratap Singh. Raebareli is slated to go to polls in the fifth phase on May 20.
“Rahul Gandhi should have contested from Amethi. Running away from Amethi gives a message that a person who challenged PM Modi every day asked the people of the country 'Daro Mat' (do not be scared). Today, he is scared. This is unfortunate for the Congress,” Congress Acharya Pramod Krishnam said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the other hand, seized the opportunity to mock the absence of a Gandhi family member contesting the Amethi seat. In reference to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's slogan of 'daro mat [Don't be scared],' PM Modi quipped: "Bhago mat [Don't run]."
The decision regarding the Raebareli seat came on the final day for filing nominations for both seats. The Congress had kept the suspense lingering for months over these prestigious seats. The party refrained from revealing the candidates’ names in the latest list released on Tuesday, holding out until the last possible moment. The deadline for filing nominations for both the seats was Friday, May 3.
This development came after speculation arose regarding Priyanka Gandhi’s husband, businessman Robert Vadra, showed an interest in contesting polls from the grand-old-party stronghold seat. Earlier last month, posters featuring his photos were spotted outside the party’s local office.