Lok Sabha Elections: Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "don't run away" jibe on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi following his nomination for the Raebareli Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge mocked PM Modi, saying, "Khud Bhag Ke Varanasi Aaye (he himself ran away to Varanasi)". PM Modi is a sitting MP from UP's Varanasi Lok Sabha seat. He won the seat in 2014 and 2019 polls.
Kharge's comments came after PM Modi took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi saying that he decided to contest from Raebareli because he knew he will lose Wayanad. "Now, the 'shehzada' of Congress, who went to Wayanad after losing the Amethi seat, is also contesting from Raebareli . He knows he will lose Wayanad this time," Modi said, referring to Rahul Gandhi's decision to contest from Raebareli , as quoted by PTI. He stated that the Congress leader should not be afraid and “keep running away”.
"I had said earlier that the ‘prince’, after the polling in Wayanad, would look for another seat, due to fear of defeat in that constituency. Now, he had to run away from Amethi and choose the Raebareli seat. They go around and ask people not to feel afraid. I would tell them the same thing - don't be afraid and don't run away," the prime minister said.
The Prime Minister also asserted that Congress’ tally in the Lok Sabha polls will be an “all-time low”, as the grand old party would struggle to cross even the “half-century” mark in the hustings.
After Gandhi filed his nomination, former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot said that the former Congress chief will win and the grand old party does not care about what Prime Minister Narendra Modi says. "The nomination has been filed. We will win with a big majority. Rahul Gandhi will win... We do not care about what PM Modi says," Gehlot said.
While addressing a rally in West Bengal, PM Modi said that if Congress is voted to power, it would "snatch" quotas meant for the Scheduled Caste, Dalits and OBCs and give those to its "jihadi vote bank" to pursue the party's "appeasement politics".
The Congress on Friday ended the suspense over Amethi and Raebareli , announcing his candidature from the seat held by his mother Sonia Gandhi for the last two decades. Rahul Gandhi had lost from the adjoining Amethi constituency in 2019, but won from Wayanad – a seat he is contesting this time as well.