New Delhi:

Bharatiya Janata Party MP Maneka Gandhi on Saturday said that she has “faith” in his son Varun Gandhi, who was not picked to defend his Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit.

Speaking to NDTV, Ms Gandhi said that she respects the party’s decision to field a different candidate.

“I cannot challenge the party’s decision and I respect it. I have so much faith in Varun Gandhi. He is a capable person and will do his best,” the former Union Minister said.

“Some people become a Member of Parliament and some become a politician without being an MP,” Ms Gandhi told NDTV and drew a parallel with Chandra Shekhar, who was the first Indian prime minister who had never held any prior government office.

“You never know what life has in store for you,” the Sultanpur MP, also a noted environmental activist, said.

Varun Gandhi is a two-time MP from Pilibhit, which has been a family affair since 1989 when it was won by Maneka Gandhi.

On Fighting From Sultanpur

Maneka Gandhi, who is contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur, said that she is happy that she has been given the opportunity again to serve the people of the constituency.

On being asked about her prediction on how many votes she would get, the eight-time MP said that she is trying her best every day to get as many votes as she can.

On Rahul Gandhi Contesting From Raebareli

On being asked about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi contesting from the neighboring Raebareli Lok Sabha seat, Maneka Gandhi said that she doesn’t comment on other leaders.

“I never comment on other leaders. If they’re fighting, they should be happy,” she said.

Mr Gandhi has been attacked by various other BJP leaders for deciding not to make an attempt to win back the family bastion of Amethi and contesting from the relatively safe seat of Raebareli. His mother and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi had held the Raebareli constituency since 2004 before moving to the Rajya Sabha earlier this year.

On Inheritance Tax

She also spoke on the row over Sam Pitroda’s comment that the inheritance tax in the US was an interesting law and could contain issues that people can debate. Ms Gandhi said that it would be “unfair” to have an inheritance tax.

“I am against the inheritance tax. I just think it’s unfair to have an inheritance tax. A person tries to earn for his children his whole life and then you half of it. It would be good for other countries but I don’t think it’s right for India,” she said.

Mr Pitroda, who was an advisor to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and has been closely associated with his son Rahul Gandhi, accompanying him during his foreign visits, had last month stoked a debate over the BJP’s allegations that the Congress is planning a redistribution of wealth if it comes to power at the Centre after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“In America, there is an inheritance tax. If one has 100 million USD worth of wealth and when he dies he can only transfer probably 45 per cent to his children, 55 per cent is grabbed by the government. That’s an interesting law. It says you in your generation, made wealth and you are leaving now, you must leave your wealth for the public, not all of it, half of it, which to me sounds fair,” Mr Pitroda had told the news agency ANI.

The Congress, however, had distanced itself from the senior leader’s remarks and said they did not reflect the party’s position.

Rishikesh, Uttarakhand:

Congress leader Priynaka Gandhi Vadra’s husband Robert Vadra, who had earlier expressed his desire to contest from the Amethi parliamentary seat, has said that the “entire country” wishes for him to get into active politics.

Robert Vadra also claimed that Smriti Irani, the sitting MP from Amethi has not fulfilled her promises.

“The voice is coming from the entire country. They want me to get into active politics as I have always been among the people of the country. People always want me to be there in their region. I have campaigned there (Amethi) since 1999. Smriti Irani, the sitting MP from hasn’t fulfilled her promises,” Mr Vadra said when asked whether he would contest from Amethi Lok Sabha seat.

Robert Vadra said that Congress is comfortably ahead of the BJP after the conclusion of two phases of Lok Sabha polls.

“People want change. They want to get rid of the BJP which is misusing the central agencies. People of India are with the Gandhi family as they are seeing the hard work put in by Rahul and Priyanka,” he claimed.

Robert Vadra had expressed similar intentions earlier this month, saying that the people of Amethi expect him to represent their constituency if he thinks of becoming a member of 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,” he had said on April 4.

Earlier, posters featuring Robert Vadra, appeared outside the party’s office on Wednesday in the Gauriganj area of Amethi. This raised speculations of a possible ticket for Vadra.

Robert Vadra, however, said a decision on Amethi and Rae Bareli constituencies will be taken by the Congress leadership.

Sources have told  Press Trust of India, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi are likely to contest the Lok Sabha election from Rae Bareli and Amethi seats, respectively. A final decision will be taken after April 26 and nominations can be filed next week, according to sources.

Smriti Irani defeated Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Amethi. Irani has been fielded by the Bharatiya Janata Party from the seat again.

As per the seat agreement between the Samajwadi Party and Congress in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress will contest 17 seats and the Samajwadi Party the remaining 63 seats in the electorally crucial state.

Amethi and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituencies will vote in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 20.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Nanded, Maharashtra:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, saying that in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, “Congress’s sahabzade” will also lose from Wayanad constituency in Kerala and he will have to look for a safer seat after that.

Addressing a rally at Nanded in Maharashtra to campaign for BJP candidates from Nanded and Hingoli seats, PM Modi said the information available for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls indicates that there has been a one-sided voting in favour of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Referring to Rahul Gandhi, PM Modi said, “After losing Amethi, the Congress’ sahabzade will lose Wayanad as well. So he will have to look for a safe seat after April 26.”

In an apparent reference to Sonia Gandhi, he said some INDIA bloc leaders left the Lok Sabha and moved to the Rajya Sabha as they have no courage to contest elections.

“For the first time, the family will not vote for a Congress candidate in the constituency where they live as there is no party candidate there,” he said.

PM Modi said he has spent 10 years fixing the bad governance of the Congress regimes.

“A lot of work needs to be done,” he added.

The Congress has been a barrier in the development of farmers and poor people, he alleged.

“The agriculture crisis did not happen now. It happened because of the flawed policies of Congress,” PM Modi said.

Targeting the INDIA bloc, he said it has no face to project and people do not know whom to entrust the country’s future.

“They may claim anything, but the reality is that Congress leaders have accepted defeat even before the announcement of polls,” he said.

He termed the opposition alliance a grouping of selfish people who have come together to protect their corrupt practices.

He appealed to voters to come out in large numbers to exercise their voting right in the Lok Sabha elections.

“You are not doing any favour by voting. you are securing the country’s future. I want to boost the morale of the party workers from the opposition. You (opposition leaders) are sure to lose the polls, but you will get a chance some day. But you must appeal to voters to vote,” he said.

PM Modi said the INDIA bloc constituents were contesting the elections against each other in 25 per cent seats.

“After (the election results on) June 4, they will be fighting more with each other,” he said.

He said that without the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, what fate would have befallen Sikhs who came from Afghanistan.

The NDA under PM Modi is seeking a stronger majority for a third consecutive term, while the constituents of the opposition INDIA bloc are hoping for a rebound after facing reverses in the 2014 and 2019 elections.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)