Amethi face-off as Rahul yatra reaches lost citadel

The high-profile constituency of Amethi turned into a battleground on Monday as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi descended on the Uttar Pradesh town for the first public rally since his shock loss in 2019, only to face off against Union minister Smriti Irani who dared him to contest from the erstwhile family bastion again.

- Manish Chandra Pandey and Saubhadra Chatterji

Gandhi reached Amethi as part of his ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and addressed a huge crowd in the constituency which he won handsomely three times but lost to Irani by 55,000 votes in 2019.

"I have come to Amethi. Our relationship is old. We have a bond of love. I want to thank all of you," Gandhi said. He also said during the 2022 Bharat Jodo Yatra, people from Amethi came and complained why didn't he come to his former seat. "Today, I am standing before you in Amethi," Gandhi said.

Gandhi, who was accompanied by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, attacked the government over the Ram Temple inauguration ceremony, the caste census and welfare of poor people.

Visuals showed a thousands-strong crowd jostling to catch al glimpse of Gandhi and his entourage in a red open-air jeep; flags emblazoned with the Gandhi name and image fluttered in the background as the 53-year-old leader waved to the crowd from atop the jeep even as ordinary people stretched out an arm to shake his hand, or take a photo on their phones.

But if the Congress wanted to paint the event as Gandhi's homecoming, Irani and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sought to counter this perception. The sitting MP spent the day crisscrossing her constituency as she stopped by several villages in the district to hold jan samvad (public discussions), listening to people's grievances.

"Rahul Gandhi considered Amethi as the centre of power but did not provide service, that is why he was welcomed by the deserted streets of Amethi. Congress workers who welcomed Rahul Gandhi did not participate in his yatra due to which the Congress had to call workers from Sultanpur and Pratapgarh," she said amid cheers.