Rahul Gandhi urges Amethi to vote for him, calls them his family in an open letter

Calling them his family, Amethi sitting MP and Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday appealed to the people of the parliamentary constituency to vote for him and stall a pro-people government at the Centre.

"Amethi is like my family. My Amethi family gives me the courage to stand with the truth, hear the pain of oppressed and raise their voices. It gives me the courage to take an oath for justice to all," Gandhi said in an open letter to the people of Amethi.

Gandhi hinted that he was contesting from an additional seat, Wayanad in Kerala, in his efforts to unite the country "as per your teachings".

He said, "I have tried to unite the nation from east to west and north to south as per your teachings."

Gandhi alleged that the ruling BJP wanted to install a pro-rich government at the Centre.

"On one side, there is Congress ideology, emanated from my 'karmbhoomi' Amethi, which says we have to work for the welfare of farmers, women, small traders, the youth and poor. On the other side, it is BJP's thinking which aims to make 15-20 industrialists the owner of the government," Gandhi said in the letter.

He accused the BJP of spreading falsehood and expressed his confidence that voters of Amethi will not fall for it.

The Congress chief said, "My family Amethi knows that the people in BJP will install a factory of lies and spend money like water. But the BJP people perhaps do not know that truthfulness and simplicity is Amethi's strength."

The Gandhi scion promised to restart all the development programmes which were started in the previous Congress government.

"Keep my words. All the stalled projects will be restarted in Amethi as soon as a Congress government comes at Centre."

The election is due in the fifth phase of national elections on May 6 in Amethi. Counting of votes will begin on May 23.