New Delhi: The BJP on Tuesday mocked at Rahul Gandhi after Haji Haroon Rasheed, son of a local Congress leader, announced that he would contest as an Independent candidate against Congress President's in the traditional 'family' stronghold state."Rahul Gandhi's report card in Amethi cannot be more worse," went a missive from BJP's official Twitter handle.
"Haji Haroon Rasheed, son of Haji Sultan Khan, who was the proposer for Rajiv Gandhi in the 1991 and Sonia Gandhi in 1999, has accused Rahul Gandhi of betraying the people of Amethi and has decided to fight against him," the saffron party's missive said.
The terse missive in the micro blogging site from the saffron party comes in reference to Haroon Rasheed telling a private TV news channel that his decision is actually guided by the fact that "in our area, we are only getting 'Dhoka' (betrayal) in the name of development".
"People of Amethi are supporting (the Congress leaders) for last 50 years; but in the name of development, we are only getting betrayal. This is more so for the minorities," he said adding "often we have faced the situation that students from minority community cannot get admission, cannot get recommendation".
"Are we here only to cast votes....but how long?," he said what is happening around in Amethi is"sarasar andher (utter betrayal and double standards)".
Sounding his displeasure at the first dynasty of the Congress party, he said, "how long will this continue, how long will we continue to be fooled"."Look at the roads here....in fact five years are good enough to work. UPA was in power for 10 years," Mr Rasheed said.
Answering questions, he further said, efforts to reach out to the Congress leadership has not helped as the leaders "do not have time".In 2014, Rahul Gandhi won the prestigious seat by humbling BJP nominee Smriti Irani by a margin of 1,07,903 votes.
Both the leaders are again set for a fierce electoral battle.The Amethi parliamentary constituency is a known Congress bastion for decades. Only in 1998 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP had won the seat when Sanjay Singh, a prominent Congress face in the region, was its nominee.Sanjay Singh is at present a member of the Rajya Sabha from Assam.(UNI)
