PM TO VISIT AMETHI SOON

LUCKNOW: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Amethi, the Lok Sabha constituency of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, on February 27.

Modi’s Amethi itinerary hasn’t still come yet but local BJP leaders have begun preparing for his visit in the Congress bastion. Interestingly, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi ‘Vadra’ also has plans to travel to Modi’s Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency.

Modi visit would ostensibly be for the announcement of manufacture of Russian assault rifles from there. In reality, however, BJP leaders admit it indicates party leadership’s intent to scale up the political pitch in Amethi ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. BJP vice president Govind Shukla confirmed Modi’s visit to Amethi, “possibly” on February 27, for which Smriti Irani, widely tipped to re-contest against Rahul Gandhi, too is expected to be present.

Modi’s visit to Amethi would be his first as Prime Minister. Just ahead of the 2014 LS polls, Modi had stormed Amethi to hold a public meeting, which many believed helped the party’s last minute candidate Smriti Irani put up an impressive fight in the Congress citadel.

Amethi was among the 7 Lok Sabha constituencies in UP which had escaped the BJP wave in 2014. Modi, despite a Congress build up in Varanasi, too was comfortably elected.

BJP leaders said the ordinance factory’s stone was , was laid by Rahul Gandhi in 2010. “Funds too were sanctioned but after the Congress government was voted out in 2014, precious little happened since,” a local leader said.