Rahul Gandhi cannot see development because he is wearing ‘Italian eye-glasses’: Amit Shah in Amethi

BJP chief Amit Shah on Tuesday questioned Rahul Gandhi on the lack of development in his parliamentary constituency Amethi, a week after the Congress vice president accused the saffron party of claiming credit for schemes launched by his party. (Highlights)

“Rahul Gandhi, whose party has ruled the country for 60 years, is asking for the report card of the three-year Modi government,” Shah said during a rally aimed at playing up Union minister Smriti Irani’s work for the constituency.

“Rahul Gandhi has never visited Amethi collector’s office even after being elected as the MP from here... Smriti Irani comes to Amethi even after losing the Lok Sabha constituency...” he added.

Irani, who reduced Gandhi’s winning margin by two lakh votes in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, has been regular to the Congress bastion where she has announced a slew of projects.

On Tuesday, the BJP is expected to announce about 20 more projects in a bid to reinforce the development narrative ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath was also present.

The BJP leaders claim that the rally will showcase growing saffron presence in the Congress citadel where the Bharatiya Janata Party won six out of the 10 assembly seats in the Uttar Pradesh elections.

Shah asked Congress “shahzada” Gandhi, who has questioned the ‘Gujarat model’ of development repeatedly, about the contribution by the three generations of Gandhis in developing Amethi.

“We have given a Prime Minister who speaks ... Amethi is known all over the world as a Nehru-Gandhi family bastion, but there has been no development,” he said.

He accused the Congress leader of wearing “eye-glasses made in Italy”, saying it was a reason he cannot see India’s development.

“You have reposed faith in one family for 60 years, you won’t regret if you give the BJP and Narendra Modi a chance.”

The Congress unit in Amethi has launched a programme to reach out to a village every day to take Gandhi’s message to the people amid a growing BJP presence. Gandhi was in Amethi on a three-day visit last week and had launched a blistering attack on Modi.