Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addresses a public meeting ahead of the third phase of Lok Sabha elections, in Rohtak district.
Credit: PTI Photo
Rohtak: Mocking Rahul Gandhi as someone who runs away from the battlefield, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday targeted him for shifting his Lok Sabha constituency to Raebareli and said he could not gather the courage to contest from Amethi.
People like him want to lead the country, the senior BJP leader said in a swipe at the former Congress president at a public meeting here, claiming that many Congress leaders wanted him to contest from Amethi, but he chose to run away.
"I am concerned that he may be given a different name after running away from this battle," Singh said wryly.
Gandhi had lost to Union minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani in 2019 after representing the constituency in Lok Sabha for three terms. He had, however, won from Wayanad in Kerala.
Singh also slammed the Congress over Pakistani leader Chaudhry Fawad Hussain's praise for Gandhi, noting Hussain had earlier supported terror attacks in India.
The country under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership has given the message that it can target its enemies inside and outside the borders, Singh said, in a reference to India targeting terror camps in Pakistan.
Noting that Mahatma Gandhi had wished after Independence that the Congress should be dissolved and not be in politics, he said people should fulfil his wish in the elections and finish off the main opposition party India under Modi has emerged as a strong country whose voice is heard globally, he said, adding its economy has also become fifth biggest in the world. Over 25 crore people have been lifted out of poverty as well, he said.
Polling will be held in all 10 seats of Haryana in the sixth phase of elections on May 25. The BJP has won all the seats in the last polls.
Rohtak has long been a bastion of Congress stalwart Bhupinder Singh Hooda before the BJP won it in 2019, as its candidate Arvind Sharma rode the 'Modi wave' to defeat his son Deepender Singh Hooda by a narrow margin of over 7,000 votes.
Both candidates are in the fray again.