New Delhi: BJP leader and former Union Minister Smriti Irani has pointed out that her arch rival and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi believes that he has “tasted success” and a change has come in his political style. She made this assessment in a recent podcast.
“When he talks about caste, and when he sports a white T-shirt in Parliament, he knows what kind of message he is sending across among the youth,” Irani said.
“So let’s not be under the impression that every move he makes, whether we think it’s good or bad, or even childish, isn’t calculated. They’re planning a different type of politics now, and they are not puerile or immature,” the BJP leader said.
Irani also said that the Congress leader’s temple run was not getting any traction and it has been reduced to a joke. “Some people found it deceiving. When this plan fell flat, they moved their focus to caste issues to gain traction,” Irani pointed out. The BJP leader added that these steps are part of a broader strategy which aim at keeping Gandhi’s relevance in Indian politics.
RaGa Need New Haters,
Old one became his fans!!@smritiirani @RahulGandhi pic.twitter.com/UnccPUWGKO— Newton (@newt0nlaws) August 28, 2024
The former Amethi MP alleged that Gandhi was making inciting comments to keep his presence felt among the public, for example his remark about the absence of a Dalit or Adivasi contestant in Miss India competition. “He says things like these on social media because they make headlines and he knows it,” she added.
Irani raised doubts about the honesty of Gandhi’s ideology, and said his statements do not reflect his genuine beliefs, but are part of calculated strategy.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Irani had trounced Rahul Gandhi by a margin of 55,120 votes. Five years later, in a complete reversal, Irani was defeated by Congress’ Kishori Lal Sharma by a margin of 1.67 lakh votes.