Congress alleges political vendetta in Amethi, BJP denies

LUCKNOW: The Congress has accused the BJP government of indulging in political vendetta against its leaders in Amethi and said it will step up its ‘Kisan Jan Jagaran Abhiyan’ there as well as across the state in the coming days. The BJP has refuted the allegation about vendetta politics.

“District Congress Committee (DCC) president Pradeep Singhal’s business establishments have been raided within 24 hours after he got a memorandum pasted on the premises of union minister Smriti Irani in Amethi,” alleged Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) president Ajay Kumar Lallu. Smriti Irani is also the local MP.

“Congress units in all the districts have been asked to submit such memorandums, listing problems of farmers to all the MPs and MLAs in the state. We will further intensify the campaign in Amethi in the next two to three days and the Congress will stand behind its leaders who are being victimised,” said Lallu, who is expected to reach Amethi on March 3.

Singhal said, “We had gone to hand over an eight-point memorandum to Smriti Irani’s office in Amethi on Friday. As no one was present in the office, the partymen decided to paste the memorandum at the gate. Within 24 hours, teams of different departments of the state government, along with the subdivisional magistrate, reached our business establishment at Jais in Amethi.” Singhal also said he was not present in Amethi when a team of officials reached his flour mill at Jais in the Lok Sabha constituency

AS NO ONE WAS PRESENT IN THE OFFICE, THE PARTYMEN DECIDED TO PASTE THE MEMORANDUM AT THE GATE.

where Rahul Gandhi lost the 2019 parliamentary elections to Irani. “(Congress general secretary) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also spoke to me on the phone and reassured the party’s support. UPCC president Ajai Kumar Lallu will also reach here on March 3, 2020,” said Singhal.

Amethi’s senior BJP leader Uma Shankar Pandey, however, strongly countered the accusation of political vendetta, saying the visit of officers to Singhal’s establishment in Amethi must have been a routine exercise.

“Congress leader Pradeep Singhal decided to paste a memorandum at Smriti Irani’s residence in Amethi when no one was present. Such an act of the Congress and its leader Pradeep Singhal is not dignified. Singhal did not seek any appointment with the minister or her representative to submit the memorandum and the act speaks of the party’s frustration following Rahul Gandhi’s defeat in 2019 Lok Sabha election (in Amethi),” said Pandey.