Amid suspense over Congress’s Amethi candidate against BJP’s sitting MP Smriti Irani, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai said both Amethi and Wayanad are equally important for Rahul Gandhi. Taking a potshot at Smriti Irani who accused Rahul Gandhi and the Congress of disappearing from Amethi after losing the 2019 contest, Ajay Rai said Smriti Irani’s language has been going down day by day and she should see a doctor.

The Congress has not yet announced any candidate from Amethi and Raebareli while Rahul Gandhi has already filed the nomination from Wayanad. Possibilities of him contesting from both Wayanad and Amethi like in 2019 are not ruled out while businessman Robert Vadra, husband of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, expressed interest in contesting the election from Amethi.

Speculations over Priyanka Gandhi making her electoral debut from Raebareli — the seat that her mother Sonia Gandhi vacated for her shift to the Rajya Sabha — were rife. Senior Congress leader AK Antony on Thursday hinted there will be one person from the Gandhi family contesting either from Amethi or Raebareli and that person will be either Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi — not Robert Vadra.

Campaigning in Amethi, Smriti Irani on Thursday said none of the Congress family was seen in Amethi during the Covid pandemic. Reacting to this, Ajay Rai on Friday said Smriti Irani’s sanity was deteriorating. “Gandhi family has a connection with Amethi and both Amethi and Wayand are important to Rahul Gandhi. Smriti Irani needs a good doctor. PM Modi should get his minister treated by a good doctor,” Ajay Rai said.

After winning in 2019 election against Rahul Gandhi, Smriti Irani bought a house in her constituency and has become a voter of Amethi. On Friday, Irani said Rahul Gandhi wanted the people of Amethi to remain poor and that’s why he neglected the development of Amethi for 15 years. “The government at the Centre was of his ‘mataji’ (mother, Sonia Gandhi) and that in UP had their support. But Rahul Gandhi never thought about the development of Amethi,” Smriti Irani said.