Union Minister Smriti Irani invites Rahul, Priyanka to public debate
Union Minister Smriti Irani has challenged Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to a public debate after Priyanka claimed that the prime minister does not address pressing issues concerning the country. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP proposed that the debate could be held on any television channel, moderated by an anchor of their choice, at a time and location convenient for them.
Irani's challenge in response to Priyanka's assertion
"On one side, there will be the brother-sister duo and on the other side, there will be a spokesperson of the BJP; everything will be clear," stated Irani confidently. "From our party, Sudhanshu Trivedi is enough. They will get an answer," Irani said. In an interview with PTI, Priyanka challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the issue of unemployment and to name one scheme that he initiated himself rather than one begun by the Congress.
Priyanka is campaigning in Raebareli and Amethi
At present, Priyanka is campaigning in Raebareli and Amethi, which will go to the polls on May 20 in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections. While Rahul faces Dinesh Pratap Singh of the BJP in Raebareli, Gandhi's family aide Kishori Lal Sharma is running against Irani in Amethi. Both constituencies were once considered strongholds of the Gandhis. In Amethi, the scenario changed in 2019, when Irani emerged victorious, defeating Rahul by a margin of 55,000 votes.
Sonia Gandhi won Rae Bareli 4 successive terms
Raebareli was the only seat the Congress worn in Uttar Pradesh in the 2019 election. Sonia Gandhi contested the 2019 general elections from the constituency and defeated BJP's Singh, Rahul's current challenger in Amethi, by a margin of over 1.6 lakh votes. She won Raebareli for four successive terms before she moved to the Rajya Sabha in Februray.
