Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, took to social media on Friday to appeal in favor of BJP leader and former Union Minister Smriti Irani. On X, he urged trolls to refrain from making demeaning and derogatory remarks against her.
Gandhi's intervention came after Irani faced hate from allegedly Congress supporters following her loss in the Lok Sabha elections from Amethi and her subsequent vacating of her official bungalow in Lutyens’ Delhi last week.
“Winning and losing happen in life. I urge everyone to refrain from using derogatory language and being nasty towards Smt. Smriti Irani or any other leader for that matter,” he posted on his X handle. He further stated that humiliating and insulting people was a sign of weakness, not strength.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Irani defeated Gandhi by around 55,000 votes in Amethi, earning the title of 'giant slayer.' However, in the recently concluded 2024 polls, she lost the seat to Kishori Lal Sharma, a Congress candidate and loyalist of the Gandhi family, by about 1.6 lakh votes. This defeat prompted party workers to mock Irani, labeling it a “humiliating” and “shameful” loss.
Despite Gandhi's post, it did not resonate well with the BJP. The party’s IT cell in-charge criticized him, calling it the 'most disingenuous' attempt to discredit Irani. Amit Malviya remarked, “After unleashing Congress leaders, like a pack of wolves, on the woman who defeated him in Amethi and smashed his arrogance to smithereens, this is rich.” He added that such ‘gibberish’ from Gandhi wouldn't change the fact that it was due to Irani that the ‘Balak buddhi’ was forced to give up the Amethi Lok Sabha seat.
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