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'Mother entrusted me with the responsibility,' Rahul says facing flak on Rae Bareli nomination
Rae Bareli/IBNS: Attacked by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and his former opponent, Smriti Irani, for not making a comeback from the family bastion of Amethi and contesting the polls from the relatively safe seat of Rae Bareli instead, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said his mother has entrusted him with the responsibility of serving a constituency that means a lot to his family.
After filing his nomination papers from Sonia Gandhi's former constituency, which she had held since 2004 before moving to the Rajya Sabha earlier this year, Rahul said being picked as the candidate for the prestigious seat, considered a family bastion for years, was an emotional moment for him.
His grandmother, Indira Gandhi, and grandfather, Feroze Gandhi, had also represented Raebareli in the Lok Sabha.
While filing his nomination papers earlier in the day, Rahul was accompanied by his mother Sonia Gandhi, sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra - who reportedly chose not to contest from there -, her husband Robert Vadra, and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.
In a post on X, the former Amethi MP, who is also contesting from Wayanad in Kerala, said people from his earlier constituency as well as Rae Bareli are his family and he sees no difference between them.
"Nomination from Raebareli was an emotional moment for me! My mother has entrusted me with the responsibility of the family's workplace ('karmabhoomi') and given me the opportunity to serve it. Amethi and Rae Bareli are not different for me, both are my family and I am happy that Kishori Lal ji, who has been serving the area for 40 years, will represent the party from Amethi," the Congress leader wrote.
"In the ongoing fight for justice against injustice, I seek the love and blessings of my loved ones. I am confident that all of you stand with me in this fight to save the Constitution and democracy," he added.
रायबरेली से नामांकन मेरे लिए भावुक पल था!
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 3, 2024
मेरी मां ने मुझे बड़े भरोसे के साथ परिवार की कर्मभूमि सौंपी है और उसकी सेवा का मौका दिया है।
अमेठी और रायबरेली मेरे लिए अलग-अलग नहीं हैं, दोनों ही मेरा परिवार हैं और मुझे ख़ुशी है कि 40 वर्षों से क्षेत्र की सेवा कर रहे किशोरी लाल जी… pic.twitter.com/g4E94zuOVf
Ending all speculations, Congress fielded Rahul Gandhi from Rae Bareli and Kishori Lal Sharma from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh to take on the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections.
Rahul lost to Union Minister Smriti Irani from the Amethi constituency in the 2019 parliamentary elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has weaponised his prime opponent Rahul's popular "daro mat (don't be afraid)" call against the Congress leader after he switched from Amethi to Rae Bareli as a second seat to contest in the Lok Sabha elections.
Speaking at a rally in West Bengal, Modi said, "I had already told you that the prince is looking for another seat for himself due to fear of defeat in Wayanad.
"Now he had to run away from Amethi and choose the Rae Bareli seat. These people go around and tell everyone 'daro mat (don't be afraid)! I would say the same thing to them, daro mat, bhago mat (don't be afraid! Do not run!)."
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