Union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party MP Smriti Irani on Friday slammed the Congress’s position in Kerala, taking a swipe at senior party leader Rahul Gandhi, who is contesting from the Wayanad constituency. Smriti Irani attacked the Congress for being challenged by its INDIA bloc partner CPI in Kerala, with the party’s star candidate contesting against Rahul Gandhi.

The Communist Party fielded its general secretary Annie Raja From the Wayanad constituency in Kerala against Rahul Gandhi. The BJP has fielded its Kerala chief K Surendran from Wayanad, making it a three-way battle.

Taking a swipe at the Congress, Smriti Irani said during a Karnataka rally, “The condition of the Opposition is that they are fighting in Wayanad. Left parties are saying that why doesn’t Rahul Gandhi go to Uttar Pradesh and contest. But when the same Left goes to Delhi for an INDI Alliance meeting, they hug Rahul Gandhi.”

“Yesterday, I said in Kerala, ‘Delhi mein hugging, Kerala mein begging.’ The situation through which the Congress is going through in Karnataka, ‘it is Delhi mein hugging, Kerala mein begging, Karnataka mein thugging’…” the Union minister said.

Annie Raja on Wednesday filed her nomination for Lok Sabha elections from Wayanad. The CPI is a partner of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front in Kerala. While the CPI and the Congress are partners in the opposition INDIA bloc, the two parties are fierce contenders in Kerala with both parties pitting their strongest candidates against each other.

Uncertainty in Amethi

Smriti Irani’s jibe at Rahul Gandhi comes even as the Congress was yet to decide its candidate from the Amethi seat in Uttar Pradesh, which used to be a stronghold for the grand old party.

Rahul Gandhi held the Amethi seat before Smriti Irani dethroned him by a significant margin in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. While Gandhi has declared his candidature from the Wayanad seat, it’s still uncertain if will take on Irani in the upcoming election.

Priyanka Gandhi’s husband and businessman Robert Vadra hinted at entering politics and being the face of the Congress from the Amethi seat earlier this week, saying that the people of the constituency expect him to represent them in the Parliament.

“They want a member of the Gandhi family returns, they will ensure the person’s victory with a huge margin, they also expect that if I take my first step in politics, and think of becoming an MP, then I should represent Amethi,” Vadra told news agency ANI on Thursday,