Rahul Gandhi cancels Amethi visit; Irani steps up the attack

Lucknow, Jan 3: Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who was supposed to visit his Lok Sabha constituency Amethi today, has cancelled the visit. While Union Minister Smriti Irani, who lost from Amethi seat against Rahul in 2014, is there is the constituency. Rahul is likely to visit Amethi tomorrow.

Irani has been regularly visiting Amethi and trying to highlight how little the Gandhi family had done for the region. She has maintained that despite decades of rule by the members of Gandhi family, Amethi remains backward.

Irani has challenged the Congress president and said that Amethi is no more Gandhi family's stronghold.

"After the independence, it is now that a CT scan Centre has been opened in Amethi. This is a testimony to the fact that how bad the development is in Rahul Gandhi's Lok Sabha constituency. Being an MP from here for 15 years, he wasn't able to get a CT scan centre opened till now," Irani told the media today.

Earlier today, on a brief halt outside the Lucknow airport on way to Amethi, Irani said the BJP government had fulfilled all the promises made to the people of Amethi.

Confirming that Rahul had cancelled his visit, Congress' Sanjay Singh said, "Rahul Gandhi's program has been cancelled for the day. Rest of the information will be conveyed soon."

Interestingly, this will be the first visit by the Congress president to his constituency after his party tasted victory in the recent Assembly elections which, many believe, has rejuvenated the party cadre as well as its leaders.