Vadra's campaign in Amethi will benefit BJP, farmers will come out to save land: Smriti Irani

Union Minister and BJP's candidate from Amethi Lok Sabha constituency, Smriti Irani on Tuesday took a jibe at Robert Vadra while downplaying his campaigning for Congress in Amethi and asserted that farmers will run a parallel campaign during his stay to save their lands from him.

Speaking to ANI, Irani said, "Robert Vadra's campaign will definitely benefit BJP. Wherever Vadra will go, the farmers will come out to save their land. So even if Congress runs an "Aashirwad campaign", farmers of the region will campaign for saving their land".

Robert Vadra is the husband of Congress party general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Irani, while reaffirming that Amethi has constantly remained her priority, accused Rahul Gandhi of being absent from his constituency.

"For last five years, Amethi has remained my priority. I lost the election from here but despite that, I have stayed more in Amethi than Rahul Gandhi and have worked here among locals. Rahul Gandhi was not only away from here for five years but Amethi has also bear brunt of its MP's absence from last 15 years. Amethi will no longer take it for the next five years," she said.

She also lambasted the Gandhi scion for challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to debate and said, "Rahul Gandhi has probably only given one interview till now. The person who cannot even face an anchor, it is not fitting of him making comments or tweets on the Prime Minister. Every child of the country knows that not only debate, our Prime Minister is way ahead of Rahul Gandhi is capability to work."

Irani also spoke about income tax raids in Madhya Pradesh while accusing Congress of indulging in corruption.

"Imagine how much black money will be in possession of the leadership when they looted so much from the state in 6 months that this much money was recovered from their secretary alone," she said.

Rahul will file his nomination from Amethi parliamentary constituency against Irani today.