Dinesh Pratap Singh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Rae Bareli, took a jibe at his opponent, Congress candidate Rahul Gandhi for neglecting the legacy of his grandfather Feroze Gandhi, also the late husband of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, during his election campaign. Wayanad’s sitting MP yesterday filed his nominations from the erstwhile Sonia Gandhi seat after the party declared his candidature earlier in the morning.
“I agree that it's a seat of Feroze Gandhi, Indira Gandhi. Why doesn't he seek votes in the name of Feroze Gandhi? In Indian culture, there are no stronger relations than between a grandson and a grandfather. 'Jo apne dada ka nahi ho skta',” Singh told ANI.
“Feroze Gandhi's grave is just 100 km away from Raebareli, Rahul Gandhi and the Gandhi family never offered a flower to his grave. 'Agar wo dada ko dada nahi maante to Raebareli ko kaise maan lenge',” he added.
Singh, who previously contested against Sonia Gandhi in 2019, on Thursday expressed confidence that his hard work, along with that of party workers, would weaken the Gandhi bastion in Rae Bareli.
Rae Bareli, a stronghold of the Gandhi family, was recently in the news after sitting MP Sonia Gandhi vacated it to contest the Rajya Sabha polls earlier this year. Despite occasional losses, the Congress party has historically maintained a stronghold on the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat.
The constituency, previously represented by Sanjay Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, holds immense political importance in Uttar Pradesh.
Rahul Gandhi on Friday filed his nomination from the seat. He was accompanied by senior party leaders including Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, and others on the final day for filing nominations.