'Azma Lo': Smriti on Rahul's 'will take money from Gujarat tea traders, give Assam' claim

Union Minister and BJP MP Smriti Irani on Tuesday challenged former Congress president Rahul Gandhi to "take out money" from the pockets of small tea traders of Gujarat and to contest elections from the state if he has "guts".

Smriti Irani's comments come days after Rahul Gandhi attacked the Central government, saying Assam's tea garden workers have been getting Rs 167 per day wage while traders in Gujarat own tea gardens. At a poll rally in Assam, Rahul promised to increase the wages of tea garden workers in the state to Rs 365 per day and said that the money would come from Gujarat's traders.

'Congress had issues with tea seller' 

Smriti also alleged the Congress' "hatred and prejudice" towards Gujarat and its people was not new, "as Rahul Gandhi and his party had objected to the proposal to build the Statue of Unity in the memory of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat".

"Rahul Gandhi recently said in a rally in Assam that he will take out money from the pockets of small tea traders of Gujarat. Earlier, they (Congress) had issues with the tea seller (PM Narendra Modi), and now they have problems with those who drink tea," Irani said at a public rally for upcoming elections to local bodies held at Vansda town in Navsari district.

"I want to challenge Rahul Gandhi to try ('azma lo') Gujarat if he has guts. I also challenge him to contest polls from Gujarat. That will clear all his misconceptions," the Minister for Textiles and Women & Child Development said, according to PTI.

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Irani said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the people of Gujarat had come up with the idea of constructing a grand monument dedicated to Sardar Patel. "However, Rahul Gandhi and his family objected to this proposal as their entire politics was always about erasing Sardar Patel's name from the pages of history," said Irani.

She alleged that when people are donating iron articles to build Patel's statue, "I thought that Congress leaders would shun that prejudice and join this movement". "But, they could not remove that hatred and prejudice towards Gujarat and Gujaratis from their minds. As instructed by Rahul and his mother (Sonia Gandhi), the opposition party disrespected the Statue of Unity," the BJP MP alleged.

Elections to six municipal corporations in Gujarat will take place on February 21. Polling for 81 municipalities, 31 district panchayats and 231 taluka panchayats is scheduled on February 28.

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